Paper Ed
by NinSegado
Summary: After Ed's Airlines goes crashing in a devastating catastrophe, the kids of Peach Creek were separated and taken by the sea. Finding themselves in a mysterious world, Eddy and Rolf set off on an adventure with a certain Italian plumber to find their friends, free the Star Spirits, and ultimately allow the wishes of the people to come true once again.
1. Separated by the Storm

Paper Ed

**Chapter 1: Separated by the Storm**

The sun was rising up into the sky this fine, cheerful, bright, peaceful morning in the suburbs of Peach Creek. One mischievous boy was sitting on the sidewalk; completely bored and uninspired, with nothing to do even on a wonderful day in the summer. He was a short, stocky kid, wearing a yellow shirt with a red and purple stripe, as well as light blue jeans. His most noticeable features were his three strands of hair and a lack of a neck, as well as his short stature and loudmouth behavior. Most people knew him in this town as the one-and-only Eddy McRich; however, his name had grown to be infamous for the dastardly deeds he has committed into the town.

"Eddy!" a friend of his shrieked from the distance, followed by his other friend. "Where have you been all day? You know I've reprimanded you from time to time for not allowing me to pursue my own ambitions, but I'm concerned about you. You haven't been your usual perky self today- you know, planning out one of your interesting scams." He was a tall, skinny young man, who everyone recognized as "sock head" for wearing a black beanie that covered a mysterious secret that no one ever knew to this day. Eddy's friend was also known for his extreme intelligence and hard work, as well as his kind heart when it came to the scams that Eddy created, often disagreeing with his morals.

Speaking of which, Eddy had grown notorious over the past few years in the town of Peach Creek for taking pride as the leader of his friends in a scam artist business. Every day or so, he and his friends would always plot a scheme in order to earn enough money to buy their coveted jawbreakers; magnificent spheres of sweetness that were larger than their own heads! However, their plans usually failed because the kids always caught on to the negative effects of these scams. As such, they were considered the outcasts of the Cul-De-Sac.

"Yah, Eddy, I think Double D is right. Come on Eddy, let's make a scam! I'll get the doodle." his other friend bursted out randomly, running into the depressed child. He was a large, tall boy whom possessed incredible strength as well as stupidity; he also wore a green jacket everyday which always seemed to carry a horrendous smell wherever he went. Even though everyone considered him to be an idiot, even his own sister. Even so, he was very kind and loving towards his friends and always happened to make his appearance known to everyone. More than anything, Ed loved gravy, buttered toast, and chickens.

"Go away, Ed; I'm not in the mood today. Anyway Double D, what's the point? None of our scams ever work- I haven't tasted a jawbreaker in like ten years and probably never will for the next two hundred. Maybe we should quit this barf-fest already." Eddy stated glumly, looking down at the streets and seeing all the kids hanging out and having a wonderful time in the summer.

Double D smiled for once, seeing that Eddy had finally recognized the impact of his scams and the consequences that always derived from them. "Well, Eddy, I think you're right for once. Still, it's always been a passion of yours- even if I disagreed with them it always seemed to drive you forward. So why don't we set up a scam that actually works? Remember we attempted to escape the Cul-De-Sac during school hours? It was nearly successful; however I didn't have the time to fully perfect our craft."

Ed nodded. "Oh yeah, that's a great idea Double D! I'll get the doodle, again." Ed commented, running off to get the "doodle."

Eddy raised an eyebrow. "What's your point, sockhead? If I can remember, you're the one who ruined it by hanging your ugly sweater onto the barbed wire fence."

Double D scowled. "Hey! That's my mother's favorite sweater, so do not resort to insults.

My point being is, since it's summer time, we could organize a plane tour of our city outside of the Cul-De-Sac! Through the vast seas, skies, and we could even visit Lemon Brook! I'm absolutely sure the kids will enjoy it!" he suggested with a thumbs-up, which made Eddy's eyes temporarily turn into dollar bills.

"_Well, he's back to his old self again," _Double D thought.

"Cash! I thank myself for thinking of that great idea! Now, let's get to work. By the way, fetch Ed, wherever he and his doodle are." Eddy ordered with a smirk, walking over to a certain place in the Cul-De-Sac while planning out how he would manipulate the kids' this time.

Suddenly, Eddy gets hit by a football thrown from the neighborhood jock, known to everyone as Kevin. He was the Eds' biggest rival, always trying to sabotage their scams and persuading his friends not to treat them with any kindness in their town. His main vocabulary included the frequent use of insults, "manly words", and the derogatory term "dork." He wore a red cap and had a green shirt with black pants, and was almost never seen without his personal bike.

"Nice catch, dork! Ha ha ha! Eat it, dorky!" Kevin mocked, rolling on the floor while laughing at Eddy with contempt.

"You sure are funny, Kevin! Right, Plank? What's that Plank? The Eds' are trying to set up a new scam on us? How'd ya know?" a bald kid known as Jonny 2x4 said to his best friend, which was a piece of wood with two eyes and a smile drawn with crayons. He was a lover of nature and an adventurous fellow, however no matter what he and his wooden friend Plank were an inseparable duo.

"Rolf enjoys this, what you call humor?" Rolf commented, also fumbling around with some of the strange vocabulary of the English world. He was taller than Ed and nearly as strong, possessing blue hair, a yellow shirt, and light blue jeans. Rolf was a hard worker on his farm, being the son of a shepherd he has been assigned to take care of the animals. He was generally friendly unless provoked, even towards the Eds at times. However, as a foreigner, many people saw his customs as strange and he himself has not adapted entirely to moving from the Old Country.

Eddy removed the football on the face and tried to throw the ball back at Kevin, but missed due to his poor aim. "Grr! Kevin! Get out of here! Stop trying to ruin my scam!" Eddy argued, holding up a fist in anger.

Kevin laughed once more. "Of course, I knew it, dork! You're so obvious and pathetic. Just give up on this stupid scam business already, because it's terrible! We would be better off without you and your other dork friends meddling with us." He mocked, carrying a malicious smirk.

Double D sighed. "Why do you have to be so rude to us? Sure, we may be a little bit different from the rest of you guys, and sometimes we have created scams that were unfair and could have basically robbed you of your hard-earned money, but we have never intended any of this to be harmful. The fact that you constantly repeat the same insults toward us is redundant, and I believe you're in no more position than Eddy is to speak on the subject."

Kevin growled. "You wanna fight, dork? I'll wreck you to shreds if you mess with me or my friends! Dork. Come on guys, let's beat the dust. I don't want to see another second of these dorks."

Rolf and Jonny nodded simply, following him over to the basketball court, which meant Kevin gathered the football only to throw it at Eddy.

Eddy groaned in frustration. "That Kevin... one of these days, he's gonna get it! I'm so mad that I can't even express how mad I am, Double D!"

Double D nodded. "Well, he's been increasingly more rude towards us over the last year. I honestly believe there's something wrong with him psychologically; his intense dislike for us is almost unfathomable. However, he is just derailing our progress; we should start our scam, yes?"

Eddy nodded after attempting to calm down from his experience against his longtime rival, Kevin. He knew that he was only a distraction from his main goal; to create a fine scam that would earn him major profits in order to purchase the succulent, delicious white orbs of sweetness.

So then they began. Double D wrote down a list of materials that were needed to create Ed's Airlines, as they called it. He then handed it over to Ed, who began to gather the necessary parts. While the intelligent Ed boy was beginning to draw up blueprints for this project, Eddy was setting up the sign and stand where the "pigeons" would "cough up some dough."

The three had always worked well together as a trio, but it seemed that they had usually been unsuccessful for various reasons. Still, their persistence was noted by the kids of the Cul-De-Sac and by this point most of them had already given up trying to convince them to stop such tomfoolery. However, this time, Double D was motivated into ensuring that this airplane ride will be nothing short of success to please his best friend.

"I've got all the supplies, Double D! Plus the doodle." Ed exclaimed, returning from his short visit through the different areas of the Cul-De-Sac, minus the trailer park.

Double D smiled in response. "Bravo, Ed! Now, listen closely to these instructions. Based on my blueprints, I can safely say that this scam will turn out excellently."

Meanwhile, Eddy grabbed a red marker and wrote over the sign with sloppy handwriting, "Ed's Airlines", in large font. He then nailed in the sign into a desk, finishing his stand and placing an empty jar and his megaphone onto it. Eddy then pulled out a lawn chair and a pair of shades, letting his two friends finish the job.

"This is gonna be so good...I can feel it! Cash! Money! Mulah! Ca-ching!" Eddy told himself while daydreaming inside a fantasy of paradise.

After an hour of tedious hard work, Double D and Ed managed to fully design and created a twenty-foot long airplane, not necessarily visually appealing but functional. The entire plane was once again comprised of mainly cardboard, with various school objects attached as parts for the wings, hull, and seats. Eddy placed a sticker of him and the three Ed's on the front.

Ed was panting, mainly because he did most of the brute force required in the airplane, as usual. "Eddy, are we done now? I want to ride the hamburger while reading the latest edition of Evil Tim!" he whined immaturely.

His friend waved a finger at him. "Not yet, Ed. We've got some fish to reel in. Trust me, by the time we're done, you'll be able to buy the whole comic book store!"

Eddy, excited about the upcoming results of this scam, grabbed his megaphone and stood atop of the stand, announcing, "Come on, come all! Welcome to Ed's Airlines! Featuring the three Eds taking you on a tour through Peach Creek, Lemon Brook, Cherry Grove, and more! In our fully working airplane, you will receive first-class seats with refreshments! Now who wouldn't like that for a measly price of 25 cents? I know I would!"

"And don't forget the doodle!" Ed added, only to get punched in the face by Eddy.

Kevin, Rolf, and Jonny arrived, groaning at the sight of yet another persuasive advertisement for their latest scam. "Ugh, we have go through this again? I know this scam won't work. It's so lame, just like you dorks. Why even bother? I know these dorks are up to something. Right, Rolf?" Kevin lamented quietly.

"Rolf agrees with you, Kevin-boy! These ducks are not to be trusted!" Rolf proclaimed, only to hear another groan from Kevin as he would have to re-lecture his foreign friend about the proper use of the word "dork."

Jonny, however, was more interested compared to the other two. "Count me and Plank in! We've never been on a plane before... right Plank? What's that Plank? We have? When?"

Apparently, he hadn't remembered the time when the Eds disposed of him shortly after they were forced to ride Double D's unfinished work of an airplane in an attempt to escape the school.

A girl grabbed Kevin's shoulder in encouragement. She had short blonde hair, a black shirt, white overalls, and purple pants. Kevin began to sweat; after all, she was considered the "object of attraction" within the Cul-De-Sac to many of the young men. "C'mon, Kev! It could be fun! Besides, I've always wanted to travel to Watermelon Falls!" she stated with a smile.

Kevin reluctantly agreed to this. "Fine, whatever you say Nazz..."

"_I'm only going because she is," _Kevin thought on his mind, prioritizing her over his own feelings towards the Eds.

Another girl ran over, stomping the ground in anger while dragging her friend along. "Hey, stupids! Keep it down, will ya? Me and Jimmy are trying to play blocks!" she shouted, causing anyone without a five-block radius to be inflicted with a migraine. The girl happened to be Ed's sister, Sarah; she had short orange hair, wore a pink shirt, and blue jeans. Typical to a spoiled brat, she was also a loudmouth and prone to violence whenever agitated, so she often used this and her mom to threaten Ed into doing her bidding.

"But wait, Sarah! We should go! Besides, we can always, you know... tell on those Eds when they screw up." Jimmy whispered with a sinister grin. Jimmy had curly black hair and wore a large retainer around his mouth. He wore a teal shirt and had white pants. Known to most of the kids as the neighborhood wimp, Jimmy has also been shown to be very cunning, intelligent, and sneaky whenever his bottled up anger had finally leaked.

"Good idea, Jimmy." Sarah replied to her friend with a smirk, paying two quarters towards Eddy's jar- his eyes lighting up with dollar bills.

"Cash!" Eddy shouted out loud, causing everyone to stare at him with a scowl. "Oh, um... alright, passengers! While Double D pilots the ship, Ed and I will be your tour guides and offer some tasty snacks and beverages. So find yourselves a seat and relax, ladies and germs!"

Double D entered the pilot's seat, followed by Eddy and Ed who were standing in the middle of the plane. Following them was Sarah and Jimmy in the front seats, along with Kevin and Nazz sitting directly across from them. Rolf and Jonny rounded out the back two seats as the ride was about to begin.

"I swear, this is going to the biggest load of bologna that I've been a part of with these dorks. *Sigh*, this is such a drag... I'm only here 'cause you are, you know." Kevin mumbled, trying to be somewhat flirtatious towards Nazz.

Nazz smiled in response. "Aw, thanks Kevin. I'm sure it won't be too bad; trust me and watch."

Jonny raised his hand as the plane was beginning to move. "Hey, Plank wants snacks! But make sure there aren't any peanuts; he's allergic!"

Eddy smirked. "Fine, but it'll cost you an extra quarter for snacks throughout the trip. Ed, get the popcorn!"

"With extra gravy!" Ed stated while digging through the box of food supplies, swiftly tossing over the popcorn bag towards Jonny.

Double D had a built-in intercom for his airplane, and as such, used it appropriately with his best imitation of a professional pilot. "Attention passengers; we are now lifting off towards the brook of Lemon Brook! Please fasten your safety belts, and remember to enjoy the ride."

The plane began to lift after a minute of acceleration; the ten-foot long piece of cardboard was actually soaring through the air! Most of the kids remarked that this was quite astonishing to them, much to their dismay. Although, they did understand that Double D was an expert in crafting and engineering such amazing gadgets, so at least there was still hope in the plane sustaining the flight without turning course into a crash landing. Even still, Kevin had his hopes up that the Eds would fail once again, even if would mean him falling off.

Jimmy was enjoying the ride so far, seeing that they were in the air several hundred feet above ground and was able to see a great view of the orange sunset in the background as they were leaving the Cul-De-Sac and exploring other parts of Peach Creek.

"Wow, this is fun! I told you Sarah, it's great so far!" Jimmy exclaimed with excitement, letting his hair flow in the wind as he stuck his head out to view the ground far below.

Sarah scowled. "Didn't you tell me they would fail, Jimmy? Personally, I hope they do! But you're right; for now, it is kind of enjoyable, even if I hate to admit it..."

"Wow Plank, look at this view! We're so high up!" Jonny exclaimed from his seat, letting Plank observe Peach Creek's wonderful aspects of nature, including forests of trees and beautiful shades of green grass on the surface.

Eddy smirked, realizing that his scam was finally up to par with their expectations. He wanted to keep them riled up though, so he had a few more entertaining aspects of the ride planned in his head. "That's right, folks! It's a great view so far, but it'll get even better once we reach Lemon Brook! So hold your horses, as we'll be there in no time!" Eddy shouted into the megaphone, albeit using excessive volume.

"Yeah! I can't wait to see all the floating lemons in the sky; say, the sky's yellow in Lemon Brook, right Eddy?" Ed said stupidly, taking the literal meaning of "Lemon Brook" into context of what the town supposedly appeared like.

Eddy face palmed and ignored him. "Shut up, Ed," he stated flatly.

Rolf was perplexed by his surroundings. Ten minutes in, they were out of clear distance of Peach Creek already and were at the border between the two cities. In the distance was a cow farm, presumably where the farmer may have had gotten Beatrice from during his years in America. It had reminded him of his former home in the way the cattle were chewing on the grass and pigs were running amok, splashing into the mud. Letting his past go, however, he felt that his immigration into Peach Creek turned out to be quite wonderful- he had made several great friends throughout his life away from the Old Country.

"Rolf enjoys this view! It reminds him of his past life! Say Ed boy, where are we heading next?" he asked with curiosity.

Eddy stumbled around with his words, unsure himself. He then turned to Double D, who was calmly steering the plane through the clear skies ahead of him.

"Hey, Double D? Where are we goin' in Lemon Brook, anyway?" he questioned.

Double D nodded. "Well, Eddy, according to my research, Lemon Brook has a famous lake called the "Brook". Supposedly, the waters are supposed to be a great fishing site as well as tourist attraction; once we arrive there, we'll land our plane onto the land around it and perhaps having a sightseeing trip afterwards!"

Eddy smirked and then turned to back to Rolf. "Well, folks, it appears we're gonna visit the Brook of Lemon Brook! Once we get there, we're gonna take a pit stop so you pigeons- I mean customers, can go to the bathroom and pay an extra quarter if you want to take some pictures."

Kevin raised a fist, and the other kids were also beginning to complain about the rather high prices as well, conversing amongst themselves. He stood up from his seat and stumbled up to the front of the airplane, confronting Eddy. The jock grabbed Eddy by the shirt and gave him a death glare. "Listen, dork! Force us to pay another quarter for your stupid scam again and I'll throw ya out of this plane right now! You'd probably want that, huh dork?"

Eddy scowled but remained in that position, choosing not to struggle against his rival, in fear that the plane might end up crashing from physical combat. "I dare you to do that, chump! You probably don't even have the heart to." he retorted.

Kevin groaned in fury, starting to lift Eddy's shoes off the hull of the plane.

Suddenly, Ed appeared behind Kevin in a rare moment of seriousness; his monobrow became thicker and darker as he grabbed Kevin's arm, forcing him to let Eddy go. "Put him down right now! Or else!"

Kevin gritted his teeth. "I think you forced me to let him go, you dork! Listen, I'm not afraid of you guys; once this scam's over I'm gonna kick you guys so hard for forcing me onto this ride in the first place!"

Eddy smirked. "Hm, well, you didn't have to go, you know... but of course, you HAD to stay with Nazz, right? It's pretty sad though, since we all know she'll fall for me one day, but you can keep dreaming on, pal." he stated with confidence in his voice.

Double D began to slow down his ride in order to turn towards the ruckus that was occurring directly behind him, as much as he knew the risk of not paying attention of what was in front of the plane.

"Cut it out this instant, fellows! Of all times, this is the least appropriate in which you could possibly be engaged in a fight. Please, we're close to the Lemon Brook lake where we can come back to down to Earth, have a bite to eat, and go fishing and sightseeing! I have to pay attention towards where we're landing or else we'll all crash into the waters. So please, if you're going to fight, contain your anger for now and just enjoy the ride!" He demanded, showing a rare instance of standing up to Kevin but also reprimanding his friends as the same time.

Ed dropped Kevin as he walked back towards his seat begrudgingly, knowing that the "dork" was right for once. Nazz looked concerned but also displeased at her friend's rather immature behavior.

"Kevin, that wasn't very smart. Who knows what could have happened if Double D didn't intervene?" Nazz scolded.

Kevin groaned in frustration. "I know Nazz, but c'mon! These Eds- they're up to something, as always. Knowing them, they're probably trying to set us up. I had to stand up for you guys."

Nazz sighed. "Listen, I know you bear a grudge against them, especially Eddy, but you have to understand that controlling your anger hear is the best thing to do. They haven't done anything despicable this entire trip, yet you're still acting like a jerk! No offense. Just please calm down and just enjoy the ride, please? We're almost there!"

Kevin nodded, but was still thinking about what he would do afterwards.

Jonny shivered while watching the entire event unfold. "Wow, that was kinda scary, huh Plank? I thought Kevin was gonna throw Eddy right off the plane! Good thing he didn't, right buddy?" he said to his friend with a nervous chuckle.

The plane was approaching sea level as it was slowly decelerating; Double D trying to ensure that the ride would never fail as a promise to Eddy. The sock-headed Ed boy looked at what was up ahead and gasped at the horror; a sudden barrage of grey clouds started to fill the sky, causing the area in front of them to be shrouded in pitch darkness.

"W-wait! There's something wrong here! The weather was supposed to be sunny and free of clouds! What's going on, Eddy?" Double D shrieked in fear, his heart beginning to accelerate as he was not an expert pilot by any means in this kind of situation.

Eddy shrugged and started to panic a bit as well. "How am I supposed to know, sockhead? You're the one who had the weather schedule!"

Ed's eye turned to worry as he saw that the passengers were also struck with apprehension; the dark clouds in the air inspiring utmost fear.

"I'm not in my happy place, guys..." Ed stated nervously, starting to suck his thumb.

The wind started to pick up as well, gradually increasing into a point where its velocity was throwing the plane off course. One could hear it roar from the distance, as if the lake had a mind of its own and was suddenly overcome with anger. Rain also began to pour from the clouds, causing a strong chill to be felt among the kids.

Jimmy held onto Sarah, closing his eyes as his mind was unable to contain the absolute terror that had befallen their supposedly peaceful plane ride. "I can't take this anymore, Sarah! I'm so scared..." he admitted out loud towards his best friend.

Sarah patted him on the back and held him tightly. "Hang on, Jimmy! Stick with me, I'll keep you safe..."

Suddenly, when hope was starting to be lost, the shadow of a blimp appeared from the clouds.

Rolf scowled and tried to peek in the distance. "Can it be? Is it some sort of battle that we must face for the sake of our very lives?"

No one could make out the figures due to this extreme darkness, but there was an awfully familiar voice echoing from the hot air balloon. "Hiya boys... we've been lookin' for ya!" Three voices emitted at the same time, directed at the Eds, who already knew whom they were facing once again. What emerged from the silhouettes were three familiar girls to the residents of the Cul-De-Sac.

"IT'S THE KANKER SISTERS! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES OR PREPARE TO BE SMOOCHED!" Ed yelled at the top of his lungs, trying to alert the rest of the airplane that havoc was to approach.

They smirked once they finally saw their "future husbands" in front of them. One had blonde hair, had buck teeth and freckles, and wore a grey shirt and red pants. Although dimwitted, she had strong feelings towards Ed. Another had dyed blue hair partially covering her eyes, similar in color to Rolf. Being the most clever and sassy of the three, she was strongly towards Double D and his intelligence. Lastly, the leader of the Kanker Sisters had curly red hair covering her eyes. She beared a white shirt with red polka dots and had dark blue jeans; as the counterpart to Eddy, she had feelings for him as well. All three of them were infamous for being very intimidating and powerful on their own, as well as having a lust-like love for the Eds.

Double D was beginning to hyperventilate, having to steer the plane in this fierce storm as well as run into notorious faces in this time of urgent danger; he had to protect his friends and those on the plane ride with them. "S-stay calm, gentlemen! D-don't panic! We'll get out of this somehow; I'll make sure out of it!"

Nazz held onto Kevin for comfort, while Plank was held tightly by Jonny in order to make sure his best friend was safe. Rolf stood his ground and remained tough during this situation, as the storm was continually picking up in strength.

"Oh, how cute! You see, look how brave he is," the blue-haired one, named Marie, said towards her sisters in admiration.

The blonde-haired one, May, grinned. "We've missed you guys so much! It's been a day already; such a long time... come over here so we can kiss ya!" she exclaimed, puckering her lips from afar.

Eddy shook his fist at the three people he may have hated just as much as Kevin. "What are you Kankers doing here? We don't like you, so get lost! We're in the middle of a tour ride, and of course you would show up!"

Lee smirked. "Aw, look at little Eddy's toughness! He's better at words than your men, May and Marie. But if you don't want to come here, then we're gonna shoot you down and then meet up with you at the surface! May- load your slingshot. Marie, get the ropes ready." Lee ordered, as the other two did just that. May grabbed a hairpin and latched it onto her wooden slingshot, preparing to fire.

Double D groaned in irritation. "We don't have any time for this! Please refrain from firing! If you shoot us down and then come with us, we'll all meet our impending doom in this storm! It's too dangerous!"

The Kankers ignored his reasoning. "Well that's too bad, muffin; you'll never get away from us." Marie called back flirtatiously.

Just as May was about to fire her slingshot, a bolt of lightning fired from the sky and struck the Kankers' blimp. With the loud sound of thunder resonating in the air, there was an instant rip in the balloon's top half, causing the entire vehicle to start spiraling down below.

"Hey! I thought you told me that lightning can't shoot objects in the sky!" May argued towards her sister Marie.

"Don't be stupid; I never told you that! Besides, you should've made the blimp stronger!" Marie retorted.

"I blame both of you for this!" Lee exclaimed, causing them to start slapping each other silly, unaware that they were plunging towards sea level.

To everyone's horror, the water started to spin from the wind's increasing velocity, which was incredibly powerful at this point. A large torrent of water formed into a whirlpool, creating the shape of the spiral as it appeared to be calling out towards the kids that were present in its way; like a beast hunting for its prey. The Kankers finally realized this after their scuffle and began to scream as they fell into the whirlpool, slowing being consumed by its might as they slowly disappeared into the vortex.

Meanwhile, the kids remaining on the blimp began to panic and shout as well, unable to contain their emotions as the storm raged with sounds of wind, rain, and thunder.

"Sarah! We need to do something!" Jimmy shouted, holding Sarah in fear. Suddenly, the plane was struck by another bolt of lightning, this time hitting the left side of it. Jimmy was caught in the blast radius and nearly fell, although Sarah clutched his hand just in time to save her friend.

"Jimmy! Don't let go!" Sarah screamed from above, trying to ensure that they would still be safe.

Despite their efforts, another bolt of lightning shot down on both of them. Both were sent flying in different directions, separated from each other as they fell into the whirlpool.

"Sarah!" "Jimmy!" They shouted in unison, as the two were both sunk and swallowed by the storm.

"Baby sister! No! I'll save you!" Ed shouted, although he was restrained by Eddy and Double D before he was about to make his leap of faith.

"Ed, are you nuts? We need to stick together!" Eddy shouted, trying to knock some sense into Ed. Unfortunately, all Ed could feel was sadness for his beloved sibling; he shed a tear as he tried to accept the fact that she was gone.

The rest of the kids continued to scream and recoil in fear, praying that somehow they would be saved from this catastrophe.

Rolf ran into the middle of the plane, trying to alert Double D and hoping to convince the others to stop panicking. "Double D- Ed boy! We shall not panic! You must find land as soon as possible; steer the plane away from these waters! It is our only chance to escape!" Rolf commanded.

Double D did as he was told, trying to control his anxiety. He attempted to steer the plane forward by accelerating it, but it was of little use because parts of the vehicle had already destroyed. "We can do this, we can do this..." he mumbled to himself, concentrating on what was up ahead.

"I've got ya buddy! I'll save you!" Jonny told to his wooden friend that nearly fell off from the attacks. A lightning bolt shot at his vicinity, knocking both him and his friend into the water below. Still, he kept a firm grip onto Plank until the very end, where they were both consumed by the storm.

"Jonny!" Kevin shouted in remorse for one of his friends. "You dorks... I knew I shouldn't have trusted you! Now it's time to meet your doom for what you've caused to my friends!" he shouted, letting go of Nazz's hand and lunging himself towards the Eds.

Unfortunately, before he could land a blow, he was being held back by the wind as a fifth bolt of lightning shot directly at him and destroying the part of the plane below him, taking Nazz down into the water with him as well.

"Kevin!" Nazz screamed, as she attempted to reach out her hand towards her best friend. This was still, alas, to no avail.

Kevin's eyes were filled with sadness as well as a mixture of pure anger. "Nazz!" he called back, as she was swallowed in the distance. He tried to fight back with the storm, but it slowly began to sink him down. As his last parting words to the Eds, he vowed, "You haven't seen the last of me! One day, I'll get you for this, DORKS!"

That left Rolf and the three Eds, who were simply overcome with trauma that amongst them was there was no sound except of the bitter resonance of silence.

"Double D! Hurry! To the shore!" Ed shouted, beginning to panic.

"We're the only ones left!" Eddy stated, causing even more pressure to be inflicted onto Double D. His muscles tensed as he gripped onto the controllers of the plane, desperately trying to help them reach the shore. However, the plane was nearly destroyed from the devastating blasts and was being sent downwards.

"We're losing altitude!" Double D called out, causing Eddy and Ed to grip each other. Rolf bit his lip and tried to remain tough, but the losses of his best friends were already starting to take a toll on him.

Even as they prayed for their own safety, the storm raged even further, as if it was for desperate measures that the remaining four would be sucked in and killed along the rest of them. The rain began forming a typhoon of water that was too overpowering for even Ed's great strength. Double D was thrown off course; water was in his eyes and his body was being lifted off the ground by the sheer forces of nature. Just as he was about to fall off, Ed took his place and tossed his friend back into the plane, albeit he fell into the water.

"Ed! Noo! You were trying to save me..." Double D mourned, tearing up at the sight of his friend disappearing right before his eyes as he wanted this day to be an enjoyable one for his them and to fulfill Eddy's wishes- he failed to keep his promise.

"I'm sorry Eddy..." Double D mumbled, imposing absolute guilt upon himself.

Eddy sighed after realizing he was the source of his friend's stress. "Don't worry about it Double D! Care about yourself right now!"

A final lightning bolt shot at the pilot's seat, causing Double D to fall into the whirlpool helplessly. "No!" he shouted, as his body was being submerged into the water below.

Eddy reached out his hand towards the water below, to no avail; even his feelings were being shown at the sight of losing the only two people that meant anything to him in this world.

"Ed! Double D!" Eddy cried, wanting to help them even though he knew that his abilities were useless.

Rolf ran over to Eddy and enveloped him in a bear hug. "Ed-boy! We must not be separated like the others! Should we survive this force we will still be together... it is our only chance to survive now!" he shouted in desperation. Eddy nodded and remained close to Rolf, for they were the only ones remaining as the debris from the ship was plunging into the water. Still being held onto by Rolf, the impact from landing into the water nearly knocked him unconscious.

Eddy's head was being battered around; his body spinning around in circles from the sheer force that overwhelmed him from the water's velocity. His eyes were forced to close; there was nothing he could do to stop this power. Reflecting on the last few moments that may exist in his life, Eddy saw in his imagination of his friends playing together in their later years, eating jawbreakers together while hanging out with the kids of the Cul-De-Sac whom befriended them. Only happiness persisted in his future vision that he deeply longed for one day. Sadly, this wish may not be fulfilled, and as he pondered further, his body was eventually rendered unconscious as the entire world around him turned pitch black.

_To be continued..._

End of Chapter 

**Author's Note: So there was my first chapter of my first story... I hope you guys like it! What's coming up further will be explained and it might all seem confusing at first but shortly the events will start to unfold. The characters are from Ed, Edd, n' Eddy, ****my all-time favorite cartoon as a child; there's always Wikipedia if you don't know ****who they are! I'll answer any questions- leave a comment if you wish!**


	2. A Shirker's Call to Action

Paper Ed

**Chapter 2: A Shirker's Call to Action**

"So, it seems as if the wishes we once knew to be granted to those of the most pure and innocent hearts, will never be able to come true again," a middle-aged wizard whispered quietly to himself, staring up into the sky and seeing the illumination of the stars. From his view, he could even see the amiable smiles of the star children as they waved to him down below.

Even if the day would never come where he could be with them as they were making their wishes, the shaman could rest peacefully knowing that he was one of the closest to the stars themselves.

However, recent events have been caused him to be unsettled; however, no matter what, his responsibilities were to take care of the star children and fill their imaginations with only laughter and happiness.

A white-colored creature wearing a dark star-shaped outfit walked over to the pondering elder, seeking to offer his assistance. "Mr. Merle, is there anything we can do right now? I bet if we send all the star kids to one spot and make one big wish- OH! Or, um, we could make a huge cannon and shoot ourselves to the castle, or we could-" the energetic, talkative child was hushed by his teacher.

"Those are um, good suggestions, Staren, but I'm afraid this is out of our hands for now. Who knows how long it will take before our world here above will regain the power to grant wishes for the kind and well-meaning. Not since the day he showed up has our lives ever been filled with less hope..." Merle replied; he was still lamenting the situation he was dealt with.

Staren gave a disappointed look. "Aw, come on Mr. Merle, you gotta be more positive than that! Sure, things might seem bad right now, but we need to keep the spirits of our children high even through adversity. Come on, weren't you going to read them a story about the Star Rod? I'm pretty sure they're dying to hear that one!"

After hearing Staren's words, Merle gave a rare yet genuine smile. "You're right, Stark. I shouldn't give faith in that easily. I believe that in time we will find the solution to this disaster. And yes, you're right; I ought to tell these children this story!"

Staren patted his teacher on the back and was about ready to leave the door in order to get some early morning exercise. "That's the spirit, teach. No matter what, I'm gonna look for an answer, and then spread the knowledge to everyone!" He said with confidence, as it was a sure guarantee coming from him. Then, in a blink of eye, the young Ninji sped off into the snowy playground of the Star kids in order to organize a game.

Merle took out a children's book that he was writing; since he was only six pages done with it, he decided to share the book's premise to the children as promised.

Starborn Valley was an isolated, carefree winter paradise. Being so close to the stars, the area was always filled with perpetual snow year-round. However, it was most well-known as a nurturing center for young star children, as well as Ninji; small white creatures that wore black ninja-like outfits with red buttons. Star kids would eventually grow up to live in Star Haven where they would be allowed the power to grant wishes, however in order to be prepared they must be taught to understand the impact compassion and kindness.

"Ahem... Good morning, Star kids! I have written the first several pages of the book that I promised for you, as a present for your first anniversary since you were brought into Starborn Valley for the first time. Let us gather in the middle, yes?" Merlon greeted to the Star kids, who were either busy playing tag, singing songs, or whispering jokes to one another. However, when they saw their caretaker outside and finally away from his "dusty old books" as they said, the children jumped and flew in the air with excitement. Along with Starlen, they formed a circle around Merle as he flipped the book open to the first page.

"What's the story about? What's the story about?" some of them asked simultaneously, leaning into Merle and trying to get a glimpse of the colorful pictures.

Merle shooed them away but gave a smile afterwards. "Well, that's why I am here to tell it, of course. "

The wizard cleared his throat as his family, in a sense, looked up towards him in admiration and anxiousness. Finally, he turned the book around to reveal its contents. "Today... I'm going to tell the story of Star Spirits and Good Wishes."

"Far, far away, beyond the sky, way above the clouds, it's been said that there's a haven where the Stars live. Star Haven was a small, yet glimmering and breathtaking city far beyond any other point in the world."

Merle showed his illustration of Star Haven from the ground world below from Starborn Valley; it was a floating city in the sky, where the stars could be seen shimmering brightly as they played and danced through the night. From there, the city was only a spectrum of colors, however what could be seen through these colors was a manifestation of harmony; all that could be seen at the bottom of the page were clouds separating Star Haven from the rest of the world below. It was almost inconceivable- that a place free of conflict could truly exist in a universal quest to find peace, however the Star Kids were lucky enough to see it themselves.

"I want to go there one day!" "Can you take us, Mr. Merle?" A few would exclaim, ever-so-curious about what lied elsewhere from their home.

Merle raised his hand. "You will, eventually; it is indeed a magnificent place. When you do, I'm sure you'll be able to bring happiness into many lives. Continuing on..."

"In the sanctuary of Star Haven there rests a fable treasure called the Star Rod, which has the power to grant all wishes. Using this wondrous Star Rod, the seven revered Star Spirits watched over our peaceful world carefully...very carefully. When the Star Rod glowed ever so strongly, it acted as a messenger between the bearer of the wish and the Star Spirits. The seven celestial deities would never grant wishes to those whose motivations were driven by greed, selfishness, or dishonesty." He turned the page to a drawing of the Star Spirits', from which he conceived as best as he could what they looked like through his deepest imagination. They all appeared to be wise, mature stars, each unique appearance as opposed to the Star Kids, causing them to tremble in anticipation for the future.

"Oh no... are we going to transform?" One asked with worry to a friend.

"They all look so big and smart..." Another mumbled, starting to feel down about herself.

Staren had to insert a comment. "That's just the cycle of life, kids. You know, getting bigger, growing some features. It's kind of cool though, 'cause you'll be able to do more things. Besides, you're gonna go to Star Haven someday too!" he encouraged, causing the group to calm down.

Merle gave a look of approval to Staren for his simple but rather effective explanation of maturity, and continued. "However, people whom had good intentions and had the purest of hearts were granted their wishes. As happiness spread to the world when they achieved their desire, peace and happiness would be ever present throughout the Mushroom World." Merle read, showing an illustration of the Star Rod, which appeared to be a wooden staff with a star shaped end to it, shining brightly. It was being contained by a powerful magic spell, as the Star Spirits looked over it. The sanctuary they resided in was possibly the most magnificent place of Star Haven, with a glowing fountain pouring beside the Star Rod along with the beautiful architecture and designs that resided on the walls.

The Star Kids gaped in awe, absolutely stunned yet starstruck by the detailed and colorful pictures that Merle attempted to draw, in order to depict his setting more clearly.

"And then... Oh dear...What the...? Who stuck that weird thing into this story?" A witch in a purple robe and hat suddenly flew into the scene, laughing evilly.

"What are you doing here? Please leave at once!" the Star Spirits ordered, but to no avail. She flew around the sanctuary, throwing several insults at the deities for being powerless to stop her.

Suddenly he flew into the scene in a balloon car with a sinister clown face was the powerful and mighty enemy of the Mushroom Kingdom. He was a dragon-like creature with red hair, a spiked green shell, and large claws.

"Bowser... what are you doing here? Please do not cause trouble, we wish to maintain peace throughout the Mushroom Kingdom!" one of the Star Spirits pleaded.

"Gwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! You pesky Star Spirits never granted me my wishes, so I decided to a pay a visit myself and see what the source of your power was.. So I can, at long last, beat my archenemy, Mario. I'll take this Star Rod! Do it, Kammy Koopa!" Bowser laughed, ordering his subordinate to break the seal that contained the Star Rod.

Kammy Koopa held out her magical wand and casted a powerful barrier release spell, and despite the Star Spirits' efforts to protect the Star Rod, they didn't have the strength to counter her dark magical arts. Bowser flew up and snatched it into his hands. The Star Spirits began to panic, because now that it was in his grasp, they didn't have the power to stop him from manipulating the Star Rod in order to fulfill his heart's desires.

"Yeah! Now let's try using it!" Bowser exclaimed. With his thoughts and emotions being poured into the Star Rod, he made a silent wish. At first, nothing occurred, but afterwards, a purple shockwave was emitted from the rod, spanning to the seven Star Spirits that were circumventing the center. As soon as the beam touched them, they were instantly turned into seven mere playing cards; with their expressions of sadness facing the front.

" Bwa ha ha ha ha... We did it! That was too easy! Gwa ha ha!" Bowser shouted triumphantly.

The Star Kids looked terrified and disappointed as well, however, Merle assured them that this was nothing more than a fairy tale, even though he knew the truth. The wizard held his hand out in order to signal them to calm down, and continued with his final page of his first chapter.

"Now Star Kids may rise to the Star Haven to deliver people's wishes, but under Bowser's rule, these wishes will not come true. Whatever can they do?" Merle questioned to the Star Kids in a remorseful tone, showing a picture of a night sky setting glittered with stars, as if they were pleading for a glimmer of hope down below...

**Present Time**

"...!"

He was still alive... he could feel himself breathing slowly; however his body was still in great pain. Yet, for some strange reason, Eddy felt that he was in a bedroom of some sort. Perhaps this was a dream, and now he had just become conscious after the nightmare? But if that was the case, why would he be experiencing pain? Eddy could hear voices around him, so maybe he was in a hospital while others were giving their condolences to his injuries. Then again, if this were the case, who would have saved him during the Ed's Airlines unfortunate disaster?

Instead of asking so many questions to himself, he decided to open his eyes and see where in the world he happened to be, and how he survived.

"Urgh... my aching head.." Eddy said to himself, slowly opening his eyes as he lifted himself from the bed that he happened to be laying in. Looking right of him was another bed that Rolf lied in, who was still lying unconscious. It appeared to be a rather small household, complete with wooden walls, a desk with a pot of flowers, and a nightstand right next to him.

"Hey Rolf! Wake up, will ya? Look where we are!" he shouted, trying to alert him that they had been fortunately rescued by an unknown person.

Rolf yawned and stretched his arms out, but then smiled when he saw that Eddy was still with him as he predicted. "Ed-boy! It's a fortune to know that you are still here! Where in the name of Nano are we?"

Eddy shrugged. "Who knows, but all I know is that we need to get outta here. Come on, we're probably still back in Peach Creek. The others are probably around!"

Before they could leave the room, a small figure opened the door. It seemed to be a creature unlike any other that existed in their realm- it had a human-like face, however wore a white hat with red spots and was extremely small for an adult, as it appeared to be. Eddy and Rolf froze in their place, unsure of what to say to it.

"Hey! You guys woke up! It seems like you've been sleeping for nearly the entire afternoon... the Goomba family saved you guys." he said with a squeaky, higher-pitched voice. However, at least the language was recognizable.

"Ahh! Who is this? Who are you? What are you? Where are our friends? Who are the Goombas? Where are we? And by the way, Halloween doesn't start until a few more months." Eddy screamed in panic, speaking very erratically and quickly.

Rolf remained quiet, however it seemed like he was analyzing the area around him.

The creature recoiled slightly, not expecting such a strange reaction from these unknown visitors. "Hey, slow down! Are you experiencing amnesia? Even if you weren't from here, you should know that I'm just an ordinary Toad." he introduced himself; even still, Eddy and Rolf were still uncertain of the situation they had stumbled upon.

Eddy groaned in frustration. "Can't someone just explain what's going on here? I'm losing it already!"

The Toad suddenly had an idea after stumbling for words. "Hey! I know someone who might be able to explain this to you. Mario, these visitors woke up! You should pay them a visit!"

Walking into the door with an amiable smile was an actual human, just like Eddy and Rolf. He was a short and stocky man, wearing a red cap with the letter "M" imprinted on it, a red shirt, blue overalls, and brown boots.

"Finally! A human, unlike this weirdo over here!" Eddy sighed with exasperation, although earning a disapproving glare from the group.

"Hello there! I'm a-Mario! It's a pleasure to meet you guys. Normally in this world, there aren't many people like me around here. I wonder how you even survived from however you entered this world, as I a-fell through a warp pipe long ago when I used to live in Brooklyn." He greeted, curious of these strange humans that had stumbled upon this world.

After pondering to himself for a bit, Rolf turned to face Mario and the Toad. "Hm...Rolf finds this place, how shall he say, interesting. Rolf would like to know more about your world! Rolf's name is Rolf, and this here is Eddy-boy." he replied, feeling more confident about what he would be able to accomplish in what seemed to be an entirely new dimension.

"Well a-, for starters, our country is the Mushroom Kingdom. You are no longer on Earth, meaning that anything you a-see here that isn't as you remembered should not be a surprise. Anyways, we are in a small area called Goomba Village. I just met a few of the Goombas, and they seem to be very friendly. Usually in my world, they are vicious enemies that work under Bowser." Mario explained, as Eddy and Rolf began to understand.

"Hm, well that explains why I haven't seen this place before, but we still don't know where our friends are. You see, me and my friends were making an awesome scam that was going all well, but then this whirlpool came out of no where and BAM! Somehow we're here, but I'm pretty sure only Rolfy-boy and me are the only ones here, right?" Eddy asked uncertainly.

Mario rubbed his chin. "Hm... well, you probably want to go home, do you? I'm not sure about that. You are in an entirely new dimension, so walking around this place looking for an exit doesn't seem like it'll work. Well, I might be able to help you find your friends and leave this place, but you'll have to accompany me on my adventure!"

After remaining silent, Eddy and Rolf began to laugh at that idea.

"Yeah, right! Why should we go with you? Back where we used to live, I don't think we even moved more than a few miles away from our house. It was a boring life but at least I didn't have to do any work!" Eddy said.

Rolf nodded his head. "Rolf agrees with you, Ed-boy. We must find our friends at once, not go on this scavenger hunt! Come, time is of the essence!" Rolf grabbed an unsuspecting Eddy and then they left the room, speeding past Mario and the Toad.

"They're pretty weird, don'tcha think?" the Toad commented to Mario, still perplexed by their lack of understanding of the Mushroom World.

Mario shrugged. "Well, I'd believe that they had came from the world I a-used to live in. I probably could come back to it, but honestly, staying here is more important for the protection of this world. It is an obligation that I have chosen to take, which is why I have decided to a-live here."

The Toad stared at him admirably as he followed Rolf and Eddy outside. "Mario...not only you're a great hero, but you're a great person..." he mumbled to himself, glad that he was able to have a chance to speak with possibly the most famous person who has ever set foot into the Mushroom Kingdom.

Mario did not have to walk for very long as Eddy and Rolf jumped backwards, unintentionally landing on top of him. They were apparently very afraid of the strange creatures that inhabited this small village. There were about four of them standing outside; each of them were tiny brown creatures that appeared to be in the shape of mushrooms. They had small, stubby legs, as well as concealed arms which could be retracted and extended but most likely weren't used.

"W-what are these things? Are these the Goombas you were talking about, Mallow?" Eddy asked in fright.

"Rolf is ready to fight if he has to! Prepare for a duel!," Rolf cried, raising his fists at the Goombas, who were rather shocked by his hostile manner.

Mario kicked them off of his body and dusted himself off. "Didn't I say that they are friendly Goombas? Please calm down. If we ever run into an enemy, I will a-let you know. As I was saying, I am on an adventure to save the Princess Peach and restore Toad Town from a natural crisis. You see, a terrible creature named Bowser invaded our Kingdom and took our ruler, Princess Peach, as well as the castle away!"

Eddy and Rolf grinned sheepishly, forgetting about what Mario had said after focusing on the goal that they had set out to complete without thinking rationally.

"Rolf apologizes. After hearing your story, Mario-boy, Rolf shall accept this challenge! He shall follow you along your journey as we fight together and relinquish the dark evils that lie ahead!" Rolf proclaimed, pointing towards the sky.

Mario smiled in response. "Good. You a-made the right choice; you will have an easier and quicker time rescuing your friends if you follow me instead of walking around this vast world aimlessly," And then both of them turned to Eddy, "Well Eddy, are a-you coming too?"

Eddy crossed his arms and closed his eyes stubbornly. "Forget it. Why should I trust you? You probably aren't even any stronger than I am. Besides, I was never into this kind of stuff. Why should I risk my life to "maybe" find my friends when I could be scamming some suckers and eating some candy? Come on, that's the life I want! Not being a superhero."

Mario sighed. "You a-still don't get it, do you? If you help us, you will be doing a favor not just for yourself but millions of people who live around this world. Bowser has terrorized this a-world, and everyone is now in distress without the Princess's guidance. You will find your friends; I a-promise you." He tried his best to persuade the persistent Eddy.

Eddy thought for a moment, but reluctantly agreed to this. However, at the same time, he suddenly had an idea which made him grin wildly. "Oh, fine... wait! If I'm going, you better pay me some quarters. My help doesn't come free, ya know." Eddy said with a smirk.

Mario laughed. "Heh, well the currency is also different. We use coins, which probably are worth more back on our Earth than we are here. Along the way, you'll be able to find many coins. But let's stop talking, shall we? Let's a-go!"

The three made their way over to the gate that was occupied by what seemed to be a Goomba father; after all, he did have a "sweet mustache" according to Eddy, who was still excited over Mario's promise to make him quite a rich man after the adventure ended.

"Hello, Mario! And your friends, too. My name's Goompapa, I'm the Goomba father of our family here. It must've been rough for you three the way you just landed into our Village.. if it wasn't for Goombaria's sharp hearing and quick thinking, it might have taken you longer to recover! So, what do ya need?" Goompapa stated politely, pleased to see that they were fine.

"Well-a, I have been told by what seemed to be a Star Spirit, to visit Shooting Star Summit. It is supposed to be the closest place to Star Haven. Bowser had unfortunately defeated me, but for some reason, it felt like my attacks weren't even phasing him! I'm not a-sure where his power came from, but I must save Princess Peach and bring peace to the Mushroom Kingdom again." Mario explained, slightly disappointed in himself for not being able to defeat Bowser.

Goompapa nodded. "I see... so you've gotta save Princess Peach again. It's a shame that you're leaving so soon, but when duty calls, it's gotta take more priority over anything else. Unfortunately, the gate's broken right now, and I need about ten minutes to fix it. You can use this time to talk to the rest of the family- I'm sure they'd be pleased to meet you!"

Mario nodded, heading over to the other Goombas as Eddy and Rolf followed him. He walked over to two younger Goombas, as well as their mother; they seemed to having a jovial time playing with each other. However, one Goomba with a blue cap immediately stopped in his tracks and jumped up when he saw Mario walk over.

"Mario! I'm so glad you're alright! I've always wanted to meet you! Uh, my name's Goombario! I'm y-your biggest fan in the entire world!" Goombario greeted, a slight sense of anxiety and nervousness in the entire world.

The plumber gave a light smile in response. To the people of the Mushroom Kingdom, he was viewed as a celebrity icon, however, he had never heard anyone ever proclaim themselves to be his "biggest fan."

"I'm pleased to meet you, Goombario," Mario replied, "but what makes you a-believe you're my biggest fan?" he asked playfully.

After a bit of hesitation, Goombario proudly stood forward. "I've been training to be just like you, Mario!"

His sister, whom had a red bow on her head, nodded in agreement. "My name's Goombaria; I would know best since I live with him all the time. Goombario's headbonk is really powerful now- it's about as hard as a rock!"

Eddy smirked. "Let's just see about that..." he muttered, raising a fist and whacking Goombario across the head. The Goomba didn't flinch at all, however Eddy was left  
with a bruise on his hands.

"Owowow!" he shouted, recoiling in pain. Rolf and Mario laughed lightly at Eddy's misfortune.

Goombario blushed, although admiring his own strength at the same time. "Goombaria, you're embarrassing me... although, of course, it IS true after all..." he stated proudly.

Rolf smiled. "Rolf admires your strength, he-who-has-no-arms! In Rolf's country, the son-of-a-shepherd had to do many tasks with the use of his two arms. How do you  
do all of this without them?"

Goombario shook his head. "Oh no, we do have arms... they're just really small and help us do some little things. Most of the stuff we do is with our mouths and head; it's not as bad as you think!"

Mario nodded. "I am going on another adventure, this time with Eddy and Rolf here." he stated, introducing his new companions.

The young Goomba looked slightly disappointed upon hearing this. "Really? That's not fair... I really want to go with you, Mario! It would be an honor to accompany you."

After conversing a bit more, as well as meeting their mother, Goomama, the three decided to check on the progress of the gate.

Goompapa appeared pretty excited by the time they came over to him. "Great news, everyone! I just fixed this gate! Now you can make your way towards Shooting Star Summit!"

Mario and Rolf were very cheerful that they could progress forward, although Eddy was a bit more reluctant, but was still looking forward to the coins that he would make throughout the way.

"Alright! We can move on! Bowser will be defeated, and the Mushroom Kingdom will-a be restored to its former glory," Mario stated confidently, as if he were making a guaranteed promise.

Before they could open the gate, a witch in a purple robe and hat arrived; Mario had recalled her as the same subordinate to Bowser when they fought in Princess Peach's Castle. "Bleh heh heh heh heh..." she laughed to herself.

Goombaria recoiled back to her mother, pointing towards the antagonist. "Look, mommy! A creepy witch is in the sky! What should we d-do?"

Goomama comforted her daughter as she rested on her. "Don't worry, Goombaria, Mario will protect us.. we are safe..."

The witch scowled, apparently offended by Goombaria's comments. "How dare you call me that, you little brat! You see, I'm not just any old witch that came out of nowhere, I am a beautiful Koopa with a beautiful name: Kammy Koopa! As the most trustworthy servant of Bowser, I have been ordered to stop you!" she replied in a condescending tone.

Eddy began to laugh. "Ha ha ha! You? Beautiful? That's the last thing I would call you, hag!"

After hearing Eddy's comment, Kammy Koopa was quite agitated. "Such insolence! I will teach you some manners, little boy!"

Kammy Koopa fired a blast of magic at Eddy, who narrowly dodged it, however, his hairs being sliced off. She then summoned a large, yellow block into the sky, and then dropped it right onto the gate, destroying it completely.

"You will never see your precious Princess again! Ha ha ha ha!" She laughed again, flying off into the distance with no one being able to stop her.

Eddy was on the ground, shaking like a leaf. He greatly underestimated her powers and then nearly had his face being blasted off! "What... do we really have to face such tough enemies throughout the road? Forget it, I'm not going!"

Goompapa, on the other hand, was rather angry. "I literally just fixed that gate... it took quite a while... nobody better mention the word "fix" or "gate" to me..."

Eddy then grinned to himself, briefly forgetting his fear as he wanted to use this opportunity to spite Goompapa. "Gate! Gate, gate, gate! Fix! Fix, fix, fix! Fix the gate, Fix the gate, Fix the-" before he could continue with his sing-song voice, the father Goomba gave him a devastating headbonk, knocking him out momentarily.

"The Ed-boy had what was coming to him," Rolf commented, still concerned that the yellow block was in the way. He tried to push it with all of his strength, but to no avail; the block seemed immovable, which surprised the son-of-a-shepherd.

Mario thought for a moment. "I don't think that is going to work... these blocks were probably enhanced by Kammy's magic!"

Goompapa turned over towards his wife. "Well, brute force seems to be out of the question. What do you think, honey?"

Goomama paused for a brief moment before remembering one possible alternative. "Oh, I know! Goompa's big hammer! You can probably find him fixing the veranda inside our house; I'm sure he'll lend it to you."

Mario and Rolf promptly walked into the house, however not realizing that Eddy was not following them. He was lying on the grass, holding his head.

"_Ugh, I really don't want to go; fighting isn't my style. I never work hard. Maybe if I started a scam business here, Ed and Double D will find me if I become popular! Yeah, that's the way!_" Eddy thought to himself, smirking at the thought. He then looked at a tree in Goomba Village that contained many nuts in the tree.

The short Ed-boy ran over to the tree and gave it a decent kick; this ended up hurting his foot, and the nuts would not budge from the tree. "Ow! Ow, ow, ow! Say, Goombas, oughta lend me a hand here? I want to take- I mean try, one of your nuts!" he stated, while holding his foot in pain.

Goomama nodded with a grin. "You want to try one of our famous Goomnuts? We grow them year-round on this tree, and they're the best around this time!"

She had her son, Goombario, headbonk the tree. He looked a bit puzzled towards Eddy, though, raising an eyebrow towards him when his eyes started to light up with money.

"Hey, er, Eddy? Why aren't you following them? What's going on here? I know you probably don't like battling, but leaving them behind is pretty mean." Goombario stated with suspicion as he was holding the Goomnut in his hand.

Eddy scowled. "Hey, kid, what would you even know? I never said I was going with them. Saving the world is so lame. Did you see that witch? She almost killed me! There's no way we can win!"

Goombario's face turned red in anger. "Don't say that! You know how badly I want to go with Mario, too? You have an opportunity like not many people have! Even against the odds that evil may present, true heroes will always find a way to win."

Sticking out his tongue as his response, Eddy remained firmly stubborn. "Bla bla bla! I don't believe in aspirination-er, whatever it's called. I don't even care about the people here. All I want to do is find my lost friends and get out!"

Goombario thought for a moment before replying. "Well, if that's the case, then what would your friends think of you right now? If they heard what you're saying, would they still be your friends?"

Eddy was about to reply sharply but then took Goombario's words to mind. Even if they were reunited, he believed that Ed and Double D would not simply want to leave the world. At least, without helping Mario and Rolf first.

Remaining silent, Eddy turned around and headed over towards the Goomba House and dropped the Goomnut. Goombario knew what this meant.

"I'm sure wherever they are, they'll appreciate it if you tag along with Mario, trust me," Goombario stated to him with a smile.

Before entering the house, Eddy turned back to Goombario with a thumbs-up. "Thanks, kid," he simply replied.

The Goomba House was also rather ordinary, with plenty of wooden tables, chairs, desks, and bookshelves. There were also several paintings and flower pots lying around. Standing in front of the fireplace was a Goomba grandmother, based on her tied back grey hair, glasses, and elderly appearance. It was a small yet furnished home, and Eddy immediately felt comfortable standing around in it even if was a far cry from his own.

"Why hello there, young man! You're with Mario and Rolf, correct? They left the room a few minutes ago to talk to my husband, but they should have returned by now..." the Grandmother greeted, still pondering what happened to the other two.

Eddy rubbed his chin. "Well, they might just be takin' their time or something. Thanks for the info, though. Lemme guess, your name's Gooma?"

The Goomba chuckled. "I guess it's a bit obvious, but yes. Pleased to meet you! I heard from the other two that you didn't want to accompany them, but have you changed your mind?"

He thought for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I guess. The name's Eddy McRich. That grandson of yours... he's a pretty smart and cool guy. He got me to go." Eddy responded, reaching his hand for the door hinge.

Gooma nodded. "He's always wanted to be like Mario... I admire that of him! To tell you the truth, Goombario would be a valuable ally on your quest! Perhaps if I talk to the others, we could get him to go with you! I'm sure he would love to."

Eddy proceeded through the doorway to see what all the commotion was about. Looking around into the distance, there was blue sky, white clouds, and a green forest, but no sign of Goompa, Mario, or Rolf. Instead, looking down below his feet, was completely thin air...

_To be continued..._

End of Chapter

**A/N: Sorry for the delay on this chapter, guys. I would have liked to have released it about a week ago, but I have somewhat sidetracked myself because of the holidays. Still, hope you all enjoy it! I will continue to revise and edit each of my chapters as the story progresses for content and grammar. Hope you have a Happy New Year; more chapters to come! :)**

**Updated 1-4-2014 to fix Mario's accent and some grammar mistakes.**


	3. Two Types of Goombas

Paper Ed

**Chapter 3: Two Types of Goombas**

Eddy was still staring straight down; there were two emotions he was feeling at that particular moment- confused and scared. For a brief moment there it appeared that he was floating in the air or standing on top of an invisible veranda, but once he remembered that neither circumstance existed, Eddy began to plummet down to the ground, screaming for his life.

"Ahh! Mom, help! I'm too young and handsome to die!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, as his body was beginning to accelerate to the ground far below.

Meanwhile, Rolf and Mario had finally recovered from their freefall to the bottom of Goomba Village after trying to find Goompa in his house. The plumber dusted himself off and looked at Rolf, who miraculously appeared fine as well. In front of them was a destroyed veranda, with all of the wood scattered into rubble. What appeared to be a Goomba was sticking out from the mess, as he slowly began to gather himself. He was an elderly one much like Gooma; he wore a green hat and possessed a short grey beard.

"Oh... thank the stars that you're alive, Mario! Now that I see all of you down here, I'm guessing you all fell down here too, huh?," the Goomba said with a sigh after seeing his old veranda completely destroyed into pieces.

Rolf looked above and saw that Goomba Village was high above the air, which meant their descent sent them quite off the path from Shooting Star Summit. "It appears so, Goompa-boy! Where is Rolf supposed to go now?" he asked, dismay in his voice.

Goompa raised an eyebrow. "Well, we can probably head to Goomba Village east from here. I haven't been around here in a while, but we're going to keep ascending if we keep moving forward along this path. That will lead us back to Goomba Village. Say, how did you know my name?"

Mario nodded. "Well, we already knew the names of your relatives, so I wouldn't say it was too difficult. We came to borrow your hammer, Goompa. By the way, how did the veranda get destroyed, anyway? Could it have been from the block that Kammy Koopa placed?"

Goompa looked astonished, widening his eyes. "Really? That fiend Kammy Koopa came here? Well, no wonder the veranda collapsed on me! Unfortunately, I lost the hammer after falling down here..." he mumbled in disappointment, kicking the dirt.

"That is unfortunate, for Rolf sees one of those blocks of massiveness in our path!" the farmer cried, pointing towards a conveniently-placed block in front of the path that they needed to pass. It was impeding their movement due to a large fence that was also barricading the surrounding area; even if Mario and Rolf could climb, Goompa couldn't.

Mario shrugged. "We need to head back to the west and find it," he said, leading Goompa and Rolf towards the west side.

As they headed to the left, Eddy's voice was heard screaming as he suddenly fell onto Mario and Rolf at max velocity! On impact, that left the two unconscious and fazed for a brief moment. After hearing what seemed to be some sort of an earthquake, Goompa ducked for cover.

Mario, slowly recovering himself, dizzily said, "Eddy, what are you doing here?"

Even though he was still spinning around, Rolf smiled. "Ah! Eddy-boy has changed his mind! This is most, how you say, fortunate."

Eddy dusted himself off and coughed out some blades of grass before standing up to face the three. "Well, yeah. I just... didn't want to be alone," he said in embarrassment, slightly blushing.

"_Ugh, that's a stupid reason to want to go..." _Eddy thought to himself, _"Oh well. I stink at explaining stuff."_

Reluctantly nodding, Rolf and Goompa proceeded onwards, however Mario was still curious.

"_I've only known him for such a short time period but that's not his reason, I'm sure of it. At least he's going; I should be happy about that," _the plumber pondered, rubbing his head in slight confusion while walking.

The four of them arrived shortly in a desolate grassy field, containing several trees and bushes scattered around. Rolf thought he had heard a different person's feet shuffling around the area, but he chose to ignore it and observed where they were at.

After seeing the arrangement of foliage, Goompa hopped into the air. "The hammer must be over here! Come on everyone, we must make haste!" he exclaimed, looking through a bush straight in front of him. Rolf headed over to check the trees, while Eddy and Mario continued through the rest of the bushes.

Still, after a few minutes of searching, the hammer seemed to be nowhere in sight. However, Mario did end up managing to collect a few random coins, which he tossed over to Eddy to fulfill his promise as well as show him the currency of his world. Of course, the Ed-boy giggled maniacally.

"If they're that easy to find, I'll finally be rich, I tell ya!" he shouted with glee, stuffing them into his pocket.

Rolf, in the meantime, found a doll of a beautiful human princess, whom wore a pink dress and royal crown. "What is this?" he wondered to himself curiously, oddly inspecting the doll.

Goompa gasped. "Oh! That's Goombaria's dolly! It's been so long since she's had that in her possession... it's strange how it ended up there. I guess whenever you go exploring, you'll always find many interesting things, right Mario?"

Mario lightly laughed, rubbing his head at its resemblance to Princess Peach, the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, in a rather comical form. "Yeah, it can be full of surprises... say, that does look like the Princess. Must be a pretty high-quality doll," he commented as Rolf handed it over to him.

Eddy scowled. "That's great, but where does that lead us? We still need to find the hammer!" he shouted in frustration, lying down on the ground.

Rolf shot him a look of disapproval. "Eddy-boy, we are not done yet. Rolf should throw you in Nana's herbal mushroom stew for treatment; you must have an ailing backbone!"

Eddy backed away and held his hands up. "N-no-no...I'm fine Rolf, I'm fine. Let's just keep looking for the hammer," he quickly replied, as Mario silently laughed to himself because of Rolf's strange customs. He then looked inside a bush farthest from the entrance to the area, and found a large wooden hammer! The plumber lifted it up into the air in triumph.

"Yep! That's the hammer! Say, now we can go home!" Goompa stated excitedly, turning towards the east side. However, before he advanced too far ahead of Eddy, Rolf, and Mario, he was suddenly kicked back by an unknown figure whom clearly was upset with them.

"Yowch!" he shouted, rolling on the grass uncomfortably.

It was a small, yellow creature that was encompassed by a broken egg shell, meaning that it must have been relatively young. It tapped his foot and growled in anger. "Hey! What are you doing in my playground? My name's Jr. Troopa, and you better remember it, because I'm the leader of the neighborhood gang."

Eddy, Rolf, and Mario gaped at him in disbelief.

"W-what gang? I don't see anyone here!" Eddy exclaimed, raising an eyebrow.

Mario nodded in agreement. "I agree; besides, this doesn't even look like a playground, just bushes and trees. Let me guess, you're the only member in a fictional gang in a playground that doesn't exist?"

Jr. Troopa raised his fists. "Now you made Jr. Troopa angry! Prepare for a fight, morons!"

At this sudden threat, Mario raised his hands and nervously smiled. "Hey! Sorry, kid-er, I mean, Jr. Troopa. You see, we were looking for a hammer that fell here and now we found it. Can't we just leave right now and let you get back to your gang business?"

However, the little turtle-like creature ignored him and started to swing his fists. He was suddenly interrupted by someone holding him in his hands and unpleasantly licking the top part of his head. "What is this egg-like creature? Shall we boil it in a broth and have a feast?"

Jr. Troopa lifted his head upwards, causing Rolf to chip a tooth and recoil in pain, letting go of the "egg." Goompa finally recovered from his injury as he saw his attacker: none other than the apparently infamous Jr. Troopa.

"Mario! I forgot to warn you: this is Jr. Troopa. He's a bit of bully, but he's more bark than bite. Don't be afraid to fight him; you'll win easily. Just use your signature jump attack and your new hammer powers!" Goompa said with encouragement as the battle began.

Mario was having a staredown with Jr. Troopa as Eddy was standing back nervously, watching the fight from a distance. The plumber began with his jump attack, leaping straight into the air and landing impressively on top of the kid's head, inflicting great damage.

"Great move, Mario! Keep it up and don't take any lip." Goompa shouted, nodding in approval after witnessing in real-life the famous Super Mario's leaping abilities.

"Grr! You'll pay for that!" Jr. Troopa screamed as he rammed into Mario, causing him to hold his stomach in pain.

Rolf recovered from his unfortunate mishap and cried out, "Are you okay, Mario-boy? Rolf shall assist you!"

Mario nodded weakly. "I'm fine, but all the help would be appreciated. Eddy, why don't you join the fight, too?"

Eddy shook his head and crossed his arms. "No-way, Jose! Just because I said I was joining doesn't mean I'll be fighting."

Mario sighed and prepared to use his hammer on the egg creature. As Jr. Troopa prepared to launch himself at the plumber again, Rolf intervened by landing a punch straight into his face while he was in midair.

"Nice shot, Rolf. You'll beat him soon!" Goompa remarked, hoping to provide moral support for the two, although it may not have been necessary due to the enemy's rather infant-like appearance.

Jr. Troopa instead ran into Rolf, who simply guarded the attack with his fists. Mario ran over and swung down his hammer with all his might, causing his egg shell to slightly crack. "Give up?" he playfully taunted with a smile. He was also very impressed with the mighty strength of the hammer; it just felt natural in his hands.

The egg bully growled. "No! It's time for Jr. Troopa's special attack: full power!" he exclaimed, suddenly leaping into the air and flexing his arms as a purple glow seemed to surround him. He then jumped onto Mario, who fell down after the unexpectedly hard hit that he received.

Rolf groaned. "Eddy-boy! Help Mario-boy and Rolf help fight this thing! Rolf was sure that this was nothing more than an egg, but the egg had already hatched!"

Eddy slapped his forehead at Rolf's silly statement about Jr. Troopa being an egg, and still remained stubborn towards fighting. "Sorry, but you guys are better. Just take him out already, and I'll collect the spoils that he might drop as he runs away like a little baby!"

Mario shook his head. "You just don't get it, do you? Even if you provide a little bit of help, we will be very grateful! So come on in!"

Eddy simply ignored him, seeing that if he entered the battle it would be pointless.

Before Mario could say anything, Jr. Troopa lunged at him, which he simply dodged. Then, before he could make another move, the plumber as well as Rolf combined their hammer and fist strikes into Jr. Troopa's face, causing him to fall towards the ground in defeat.

He suddenly came back up, stomping his feet and pouting in anger. "Gah! No way! Grr... I thought I'd be able to beat you all! That's it... I'll be back someday! Just you wait!" he shouted, retreating from his playground.

Eddy noticed that he had dropped coins and collected them hastily, apparently enjoying himself. "What a sap... there's no way he could've beaten all of us! Eh, guys?"

Mario and Rolf scowled at him. "Well, it would've been easier if you actually helped. There will be a point in time where we'll all be down and you're the only one standing. Just keep that in mind, okay?" Mario was clearly frustrated with the greedy Ed-boy's behavior, but he remained persistent in trying to change his ways. Still, keeping silent, the four of them progressed back to the originally impassable region.

Goompa observed the area and noticed a tree next to the block. "Oh, by the way everyone, if you hit trees in this world, something valuable may come out occasionally. Try it on this one, Mario!"

The plumber nodded and gave a hefty swing towards it, causing an object to fall out from the ground. It appeared to look like a typical mushroom, however it had a red top with white spots, similar to the Toad living in Goomba Village. Rolf and Eddy were slightly perplexed, as well as shocked when Mario lifted it to his mouth.

"Mhmm... I remember these... this is a Mushroom, you two. Basically in our world, it's consumed as a delicious treat as well as a source of healing," Mario explained while chewing, also thanking Goompa for the helpful advice.

He then swung his hammer straight down on the yellow block that was impeding their path, crushing it on impact and leaving it to pieces. Mario lead the way as Goompa, Eddy, and Rolf followed.

"How far are we from Goomba Village? Rolf must tend to his mouth wound inflicted by he-who-has-an-egg-for-a-head!" Rolf asked with concern, still covering it with his hand.

Goompa looked ahead and saw hostile creatures blocking the path. However, based on this, he could estimate just how far they were away. The elevation would constantly increase as they progressed forward, up to the point where the descent from the veranda seemed almost forgettable as they kept escalating.

"We should be in Goomba Village soon; I can tell. But be careful! Dangerous enemies that are under the command of Bowser are guarding this area!" Goompa warned, as Mario and Rolf engaged into their battle positions.

"What's that?" Eddy pointed out with slight fear, hiding behind Mario in a cowardly manner. What he saw in front of him were more mushroom-like creatures that were similar to Goombario. It was no doubt that they were Goombas, but their menacing eyes showed that they were not at all like the one's back in the village.

"Goombas; Bowser's most loyal yet common minions. Don't worry, we'll take care of them easily." Mario stated with confidence, sending one flying away with his hammer attack. There were still two more, however. One of them had a spiked helmet on its head, while the other was airborne and sprouted white wings.

Eddy was confused. "What? I thought Goombas were good guys? What's up, Mario?"

Mario shook his head. "Nonsense; there are two types of Goombas. Bowser's followers, and the kind Goombas around the Mushroom World that are living their own lives. Not all of them are bad, but you get the point." He explained, pointing towards the enemies that were in their path.

"_I'm a bit surprised,"_ Mario thought, _"I guess Bowser has been upgrading his units? Still, we should be able to deal with them!"_

"Rolf shall take out his shoe, so he can teach these mushrooms a lesson..." Rolf said with a smirk, pulling out his right shoe and gripping it in his hand. He then lunged forward and took out the airborne one with a strong swing of his shoe, using his height to his advantage against the flying Goomba.

Mario, on the other hand, was dealing with the Spiked Goomba, who attempted to headbonk him. Fortunately, he leaned towards the side and evaded the attack. Eddy decided to participate in the action, running straights towards the Goomba.

"I'm gonna knock that stupid helmet off your head, you stupid Goomba!" he shouted, throwing a running jab at the Goomba's helmet. Unfortunately for Eddy, the Spiked Goomba tilted its head slightly downwards, causing his hand to get scraped.

"Ow! You see, I'm no good!" Eddy whined, clutching his hand. Mario sighed and finished the job off with a swing of his hammer, knocking it out.

"At least you tried. Just remember, to take out a Spiked Goomba, you will have to aim for its face. Obviously for the Paragoomba, you might need aerial attacks, or just be tall enough to hit them in Rolf's case." Mario replied in a more optimistic tone, glad to see he at least brought forth an effort to help Rolf and himself.

"Good work, everybody! Now, let's head home!" Goompa exclaimed with a grin, as they continued through the path while defeating several more Goombas with ease. After walking for about five minutes, they were surprised to see that Goombario, Goombaria, and Gooma were already there in between the gate that they needed to visit in order to return home.

Goombaria was panting in relief, running up to her grandfather and hugging him mawkishly. "Oh, Goompa! We were so worried! When Goombario said he couldn't find you at the veranda and that you were gone we had Gooma open the door to the outside with her key and then we started traveling here and we couldn't find you-" Goompa interrupted her with a cough.

"Sorry, kids. I didn't mean to make you worry like that. You and Goombario look scratched up. What happened?" Goompa questioned with concern, seeing that the two, especially Goombario, had suffered several injuries along their way.

Gooma smiled, however, despite this. "Well, you see, I was the allowed them to access this forbidden area, since I have the key. My daughter was rather worried at worst, but my grandchildren seemed fine. You should have seen Goombario out there- he truly is strong now!" she affirmed, proud to have such a hard-working and determined grandson.

Goombario closed his eyes and proudly grinned. "Well, it HAS been true, y'know... I wish I could go with you guys. The Goombas weren't even a match for me. I took them all out with my headbonk attacks."

Mario nodded, seeing that everyone was looking at him as if he was the one to make the decision for Goombario to join. "Well, I personally think you'd be very valuable and a great companion to have along! However, it's very dangerous out there when we get further on, and you may get hurt. I would suggest getting confirmation from all of your family before I allow you to go with us. For now, let's just head home, shall we?"

"He already has my vote!" Goombaria said with a giggle, clearly believing in her older brother's abilities.

The seven of them shortly returned to Goomba Village through the unlocked door to the dangerous outside world. Goompa and Gooma oddly returned back inside the house, leaving the two Goomba siblings with Mario, Eddy, and Rolf in the yard.

Goombario cleared his throat. "You always seem to beat up your enemies... how do you all go about training?" he asked in curiosity.

Mario shrugged. "Well, I've been fighting Bowser for the longest time, so I guess it comes from experience. Although, before I ever lived here, I used to work as a plumber and carpenter, which can be pretty tiresome. Hard work has paid off for me."

Rolf wanted to chime in as well, placing one foot forward in a dramatic pose. "Rolf is the son of his father, who was a shepherd. He forced Rolf to work long hours on the farm to improve his strength and courage! Rolf accepted the challenge, and it made himself who he is today."

The farmer spoke in a story-telling voice, which made Eddy blow a raspberry at its corniness, which he seemed to ignore. Still, the others were rather impressed at the arduous work Rolf was forced to endure.

"Tee-hee! Well, Goombario studies the arts of self-defense by reading books and listening to Goompapa and Goompa's stories. He then even applies them sometimes by training really hard! Sometimes, it's hard to watch, because he overworks himself," Goombaria teased, earning a glare from her older brother.

"Hey! That's not true! I need to put that much work in or else that's not good enough... say, Eddy, how about you? Are you physically active?" Goombario asked, to which everyone turned to the greedy Ed-boy.

Eddy sheepishly grinned.

"Well, back in my world, I worked on scams! Yeah, scams. Basically, creating fake- I mean valuable items to sell to my pigeons- I mean, customers. It's a lot of hard work, trust me. Since that day I've started scamming, I've become a great fighter." He boasted with fake bravado, only to earn a smack on the head from Rolf's shoe.

"You are not to be trusted, Ed boy," Rolf shouted with all seriousness, "Eddy-boy here has swindled Rolf and his friends' hard earned money! And he was hiding during our tough brawl with the egg!"

Eddy scowled but then sighed. "Fine, you're right, I guess... but that doesn't change anything about my scam business. Scams are the way to go when you need to make some quick dough. But you know what? Sure, I'll TRY to fight next time." he stated in a reluctant manner, crossing his arms.

After the bit of idle conversation, Goompa arrived back with two badges. They appeared just to be ordinary accessories, but the elderly Goomba had a confident smirk on his face. Eddy and Rolf were a bit perplexed; Mario just waited for an explanation.

"Sorry I've delayed you guys, but I have some things to tell you about. First of all, I've talked to my wife and my son about this, and they want Goombario to go! However, my daughter is still concerned. I'll have to talk to her later. Anyway, take these badges, you three!" Goompa handed Mario and Eddy a badge each. Mario's badge appeared to be a blue shoe icon with spikes on the bottom, and Eddy's was a red icon with a yellow speaker on top. Rolf was slightly disappointed there were only two but he accepted it.

"My apologies, Rolf. I only have two badges with me. These badges are special though: when put on a specific part of your body, depending on the badge, it will grant you a special power. They are very helpful, and you should always collect them throughout your journey. However, using some badges require Flower Points to use." Goompa explained.

Rolf was still confused. "What are petal points? What do they do? How do we use these badges?" he asked at the same time, somewhat overwhelming to Goompa.

"Whoa, slow down partner! Anyway, **Flower Points**, like I said, is basically everyone's energy source in our world. You need energy to perform powerful attacks that are normally not possible for a regular person, obviously. Once you equip a badge, it will automatically be functional. Some badges like Eddy's are a passive ability, while others like Mario's can be equipped to his weapon for added effects. He just needs to decide when to use it. You can only have a certain number of badge points to use them, however. You all start with three." Goompa continued, starting to bore Eddy.

"Come on gramps, get to the point already! What does my badge do?" Eddy said with a groan, sticking the badge onto the red stripe of his shirt.

Goombaria growled. "Hey! Don't call Goompa 'gramps'! It's not very polite, you know. Let him explain."

"Do I get to use badges, too?" Goombario asked with curiosity.

Goompa, ignoring Eddy's statement, said, "Sorry, Goombario. For some reason, people like Mario are the only ones who can use their powers. You will get more added badge points when you defeat certain enemies, that will leave behind three orbs called Badge Candies. When you eat them, you'll inherently have more badge points permanently, allowing to use more badges! Anyways, about the badges. Eddy, yours is called Chill Out. It increases your reaction times, so when an enemy ambushes you, you'll be able to dodge their attacks swiftly."

Eddy scowled. "What a lame badge. I want one that will set all the enemies on fire and give me money!"

"Beggars can't be choosers; besides, you should be happy, being the one who always sits back in fights." Goombario slyly remarked, earning laughs from the rest of the group as well as an irritated groan from Eddy.

"Mario, your badge is called Power Jump. When you want to use it, you'll use some of your Flower Points, but your jump attack with be significantly increased in power!" Goompa finished.

"I like this. My jump attacks will be stronger now; many thanks, Goompa." Mario replied politely, attaching the badge to his shoe.

After a brief moment of silence, Rolf decided to speak up. "So, shall we begin our quest? Time is of the essence, Mario-boy and Eddy-boy!"

Goompa slightly frowned but then smiled with a nod of approval. "Go ahead, Goombario. You've earned your right to go on with Mario and his companions."

Hearing Goompa's words, Goombario leaped into the air with exclamation. "Yes! You don't know how honored I am to accompany my role model! I promise to be of the greatest help!"

Goombaria pouted childishly. "Hey, I want to go too! Come on Goompa, can I go?"

Goompa shook his head. "Sorry Goombaria, you're a bit too young for this. Maybe one day, you will be alongside Goombario and Mario as well."

Eddy slid in with his trademark smile and thumbs-up. "And don't forget the great Eddy McRich!" However, everyone ignored him.

Goombaria sighed but chose to accept this. "Aw, fine... oh well, good luck Goombario!"

Mario suddenly remembered something, and then held out the Peach doll that he was holding onto. "Oh, I forgot, Goombaria! I think this belongs to you."

"Oh, my Peach dolly! I've lost it for such a long time! Thank you so, so much!" Goombaria exclaimed with thrill in her voice, giving Mario a peck on the cheek.

"Well, we ought to get going," Mario said in a sad tone, "We promise to visit the village again soon!"

As the three waved goodbye, with Goombario joining alongside them, they met up with Goompapa at the exit, which was still blocked by the yellow block. Mario easily destroyed it with a swing of his newfound tool, the hammer.

"Leaving already? Man, it feels like I've started to appreciate your staying here. But duty calls, and that takes precedence. Go along, Goombario. Make all of us proud, my son." Goompapa said, wiping a tear from his eye.

Goombario nodded. "Just you wait, dad. When you read the news that Mario defeated Bowser, I'll be there with him on the front cover!" he replied with assertion.

As the four were about to leave through the exit, Goomama came running with all of her energy, calling out Goombario's name. "Goombario! Wait! You can't go! You're still too young! Goompapa, why did you encourage him?" Goomama panted, having mixed feelings of shock and dismay.

Goompapa sighed. "I just thought... he would be old enough. He's a strong young man now- he's matured, and has the knowledge to protect himself. Trust me, Goomama." Goompapa replied, still firm in his belief.

Goombario and the other three stopped in their tracks, turning to the Goomba couple. The young Goomba looked down, not sure on how to react to this situation.

"But what if he doesn't come back? As a mother's duty, I can't allow him to go! It's too dangerous and risky! I will be waiting long days for him to come back, and that's just so much stress..." She protested, leaning towards Goompapa.

Mario placed a hand on Goombario's head, seeing that he was nervous about how to approach this. "Just tell her the truth. No matter what anyone says, if you're confident enough in yourself, then you can't let anyone tell you otherwise. But say it kindly, as she is your mother." Mario said in a calm manner, giving Goombario much needed mental support.

"Thank you, Mario," Goombario whispered, before turning to his mother, "And thank you, mom, for trying to protect me. However, I'm just not that same kid anymore. I'll be fine. On the pride of being of a Goomba, I swear to come back in one piece, stronger than ever!"

Goomama looked down in surprise, as she would have never thought Goombario would be this bold.

Mario, Eddy, and Rolf stood behind Goombario as well, showing their support of the young Goomba. "And besides, Rolf and our group will try our very best to protect him. He is in good hands, Goomama-girl." Rolf stated with assurance.

The mother suddenly smiled after pondering these words for a few minutes. "You're right, Goombario. I shouldn't have worried so much. In fact, as a mother, I should also have more faith in my own son. That is the trust that families should share together. There's nothing else I have to say, except good luck..."

Goombario nodded with a proud salutation, and then the four heroes turned around and took off, waving back to the Goomba family.

Before they left, however, Goomama reappeared behind Mario and handed him an extremely dense bag. "Wait! Before you go, I have to make sure Goombario keeps up with his good habits! First of all, his curfew is 9:00 P.M., no exceptions! Make sure he brushes his teeth each morning and night for two minutes. Oh! I brought along some books that he can read..." Goomama explained quickly, as Mario looked to Goombario with a sheepish grin.

Eddy and Rolf began to laugh, while the rest of the Goomba family nodded in approval.

The young Goomba rolled his eyes but smiled in acceptance, seeing that she cared deeply. And he was even given the permission to begin an adventure with his greatest hero, Mario.

"Oh, mom..."

_To Be Continued..._

End of Chapter

**A/N: This one is a tad shorter than the others, however this one focused mainly on character development rather than continuing with the plot. It may be a slow start, but we'll be jumping into action shortly. Anyway, I will continue to rewrite these chapters for content and grammar as stated before, and keep trying to make each chapter original in comparison to the game. Hope you enjoy! I will continue to answer questions and respond to feedback. :)**


	4. The Path to Toad Town

Paper Ed

**Chapter 4: The Path to Toad Town**

* * *

"So, where exactly are we going again, pasta-face? You said something about a star mountain?" Eddy asked, albeit in a more rude, derogatory tone.

Mario glanced at Eddy with a slightly agitated glare for his rude remark, but chose to ignore that. "Well, we're going to Shooting Star Summit. It's located in my home town, Toad Town. It shouldn't be too far from here, so let's just keep going forward."

The four protagonists had just left Goomba Village after saying their goodbyes to the Goomba family; as hard as it may have been initially for Goombario to leave his beloved home, he was also glad to fulfill his lifelong dream of accompanying Mario on one of his grand adventures. They were walking through a simple road, with grass, trees, and bushes surrounding the walkway. Oddly, there was also a public awareness sign placed in front of them, which seemed misplaced considering the remote area they were in and that they had just left the village.

"Even still, where will this take Rolf? What is the point of ascending to the top of the mountain just to see a starry view? We should fight that Bowser right now, before his power becomes too strong! Rolf demands an explanation!" Rolf proclaimed, as Mario had not clearly stated the reason why they made the decision to head to Shooting Star Summit.

Goombario shook his head. "Oh no, you don't want to fight Bowser right now. The Star Rod grants a power beyond any other imaginable!We must work hard and become stronger before we go to the castle. I'm not sure of the exact details, but even I don't think we're at that point yet where we can challenge him," he stated bluntly, much to the disappointment of Eddy and Rolf.

Eddy sighed. "Come on, I just want to leave already! Why does this have to take so long?" He whined, letting out an exasperated groan.

"It's better to be patient and wait for the right time than to jump into a situation unprepared. Trust me," Mario replied in an advising manner.

As they proceeded along the path, Eddy walked up to the large wooden sign that was placed on the road. It had an image of the Goomba that they had seen before; it was one of Bowser's foot soldiers. "Hey guys, take a look at this sign! It says... beware... of... Gombas? Oh, that said Goombas." he read slowly, clearly demonstrating his lack of linguistic ability.

The four of them ignored this warning, as they figured the Goombas were too weak to pose a challenge to them, even though Goombario was ashamed to admit it. Suddenly, a Goomba was tiptoeing slowly, appearing from behind the sign in a hiding position. It attempted to headbonk Eddy as he was having another one of his arguments with Mario.

"Take this, sucker!" the Goomba cried, leaping into the air for a surprising ambush onto the unsuspecting greedy Ed-boy. Normally, he wouldn't have been able to react in time, but Eddy turned around instantly and fell backwards a few feet, dodging the attack.

"Whoa! Heads up, guys!" he shouted, lying on the ground defenseless while the Goomba was bracing for another move. It was rather surprised that Eddy was able to dodge the attack while not even being able to notice its presence until it revealed itself.

Rolf shouted out a battle cry, running with one of his shoes and leaping straight into the air. "Rolf shall avenge you, Ed-boy!" Before he could make his attack, however, Goombario quickly finished it off with a simple headbonk from his "rock-solid" head. The impact from the young Goomba's head caused a member of his own species to recoil in pain and faint.

Goombario bowed proudly, while Eddy blew a raspberry. Mario was impressed at his strength, however, as he had always seen Goombas as small fries, compared to the other big leaguers that he had faced in the past.

"Psh, that was so easy, anyone could've done it. I'm just happy that my badge is coming in handy!" Eddy exclaimed with a smirk, acting like nothing happened as the others made a bored face towards him.

As they advanced forward, Eddy instantly spotted familiar floating blocks that were labeled with question marks in the far distance. He was running at full speed while the other were attempting to catch up with him. "Money, cash! And it's all mine!" he cried with high euphoria, slightly disturbing Mario and Goombario.

"Hey Eddy, wait up! Grr... your friend is pretty greedy, isn't he?" Goombario said with a groan, starting to get bothered by his eccentric behavior.

Rolf nodded. "Agreed, Goombario-boy. The Ed-boy here has always been like this as Rolf remembered. But that is what makes him stand out, wouldn't you say?"

The Goomba nodded, and saw that Eddy yet again was in another encounter with a Goomba, this time the Spiked variant. Before it could launch a devastating blow to his pancake-shaped forehead, Mario hammered it out of the way. Even though Eddy believed the Chill Out badge would have prevailed for him again, the plumber simply didn't want to waste time. As the other three progressed forward, Eddy was pounding the blocks for coins, and stuffed them into a makeshift wallet once his pockets were starting to get full.

"Remember guys, whenever you find any coins, make sure to give one to Uncle Eddy right here! I'll be glad to spend-err...save them for our journey!" he said with a nervous chuckle. Rolf and Goombario replied with a bored face, while Mario sheepishly grinned.

"Whatever you say I guess, Eddy..." He replied, trying to play with his greediness for a little bit, which made Eddy's eyes light up with dollar bills; a typical reaction that they already have came to expect.

Gazing ahead, Mario saw a floating red block with a question mark on it. It stood out from the rest of the blocks they had seen so far. He leaped under the block to check, and a badge sprouted out from above. Rolf decided he would collect it and placed this one onto his t-shirt, even though he didn't know the exact properties of the badge. It appeared to be red circle with a yellow symbol in the middle, which was the main noticeable feature about the badge.

Goombario pulled out a thin blue textbook, entitled "Tattle Log of the Mushroom World" on the cover. He quickly flipped through the pages and found the exact same badge that was in Rolf's possession.

"This is my tattle log; I hope you all find it useful! Anyway, that is the Close Call badge, Rolf," Goombario explained, "When you are at the brink of defeat, there is a chance that the enemies might miss."

Mario nodded in approval, pleased to see they had a reliable source of information with them, especially in one of their friends.

Rolf nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Goombario-boy. Rolf will be sure to make use of this badge." He thanked politely, advancing forward along the path.

Eddy observed another sign in the distance, this time with a picture of one of the "delectable treats" that Mario had mentioned and was eating earlier. "Always...eat plenty.. of... musrhooms? Oh, I meant mushrooms. They restore your... vitality." He then saw a Mushroom placed behind the sign, plainly lying on the grass.

"Hey, I'm not eating that! Who knows where that's been!" Eddy shouted in disgust. Mario didn't show much opposition towards eating random Mushrooms that were lying on the ground at random places, since he did it all the time. However, they were in perfect condition, so there was no need at any rate.

Suddenly, a loud, echoing sound of laughter startled the group, which appeared to have come from a large group. The four did not expect this, but it appeared to be a baited ambush prepared by whomever the enemy was. Mario readied his hammer, prepared to retaliate at any moment from an upcoming onslaught. Goombario looked left and right; he immediately recognized the wings and spikes that were poorly attempted to be hidden behind the trees and bushes in the background.

"We're being ambushed by a horde of Goombas!" Goombario cried out, putting away his tattle log of badges. At the same time, about five Goombas, four Paragoombas, and six Spiked Goombas emerged from the shadows, having the sudden urge to defeat Mario and his friends once and for all and make Lord Bowser very pleased.

Rolf decided he would need the assistance of his other shoe, seeing that they were severely outnumbered, even if the enemies alone were rather weak. He rolled his sleeves, sweat dripping down his face as the farmer gritted his teeth. Eddy also attempted a battle stance  
as well, raising his fists for action.

"Hah! We've gotten smarter, Mario. You think we'd be that stupid to let you make us into your carpet all day? Well, we've got spikes on our heads now!" a Spiked Goomba shouted, attempting to be intimidating.

"Sorry, but I've already fought Spiked Goombas before; nothing too special," Mario stated flatly, much to his opponents' dismay. A few started to mumble amongst themselves about wanting to "flush the plumber down the drain once in for all", which made Eddy groan.

One of the Goombas cleared his throat. It was unlike the other Goombas, having a much different appearance than the rest of them. This one had a much darker tone, as well a seemingly grumpier mood and more intellectual approach to fighting. "Enough! We've launched a Goomba rebellion against you all. You've made a mockery of us for quite a while, but how do you like the power of a Gloomba?" the Gloomba said in a gruff voice. The appearance of this particular species greatly surprised Mario.

"Wait, what are you doing here? I thought you live underground!" The plumber gasped in surprise, as he started to be more cautious as to how he would approach this fight.

The Gloomba shook its head, appearing as if it expected Mario to ask that question. "Well, Bowser summoned me, and duty calls. Even if I much prefer staying away from the sunlight, I guess helping my weaker brothers take you down is an added benefit. But enough chit chat, let's go everyone!"

The group of Goombas leaped into the air, revealing themselves from behind the shadows. They launched a simultaneous attack towards the four trespassers, whom which were shocked by the sheer number of them, as well as the leader's quick attacks. Mario and Rolf easily jumped out of the way, as most of the regular Goombas collided with each other. However, Goombario was slightly more slow-footed, and Eddy didn't have very strong reaction times.

Eddy ended up jumping out of the way by the instincts bestowed to him from his badge. Unfortunately, the young Goomba ended up taking the brunt of the damage, receiving consecutive attacks from three Goombas.

"Help! Guys, I think I have a plan, but I'm kind of in a tussle right here!" he pleaded, his voice starting to become more faint as he was completely outnumbered and surrounded.

Mario felt a sudden urge to protect his greatest admirer, even if he barely knew him. He felt his heart beginning to race and adrenaline being transmitted all throughout his body. Mario readied his hammer and raced to knock the trio of Goombas out of the way, quickly defeating them. Goombario was in a wounded state of scratches and bruises, but still mustered a smile of appreciation.

The plumber sighed in relief, previously fearing that he might have reacted too late. _"That was close... if I didn't come sooner, Goombario would've been seriously injured. I have to keep him by my side and protect him with more caution," _he thought to himself, stating quite for a brief moment.

Rolf and Eddy backed up next to the two, as the remaining Goombas waited in anticipation for their next move. During this time, Goombario was lying on the ground, however still surmised a plan to defeat their enemy and relayed it to the healthy fighters. "We can still win, guys. Our attack pattern must be organized in order to succeed, however. Mario should take out all the Spiked Goombas; they are very threatening but Mario has the evasive skills to dodge even three of them at once! Rolf can deal with the Paragoombas easily, as we've seen already," Goombario began.

Eddy held his hands around his waist. "Okay... so what am I gonna do, kid? Huh? Spill it!" He screeched in an impatient tone, much to the annoyance of the others.

"Be patient, Ed-boy! This Mushroom has words of wisdom that must be shared to us," Rolf hushed, actively paying attention to the intelligent Goomba's strategy.

The Gloomba whistled, signaling the next wave of their squad to launch their headbonk attacks. He also eyed Mario, seeing him as the most dangerous threat, as well as someone essential to take out due to his hostile relationship to his ruler, Bowser. "It's smart that you guys are talking over there, but we're not waiting for ya. Go, Goombas! Attack with all of your might!" he shouted, shouting a fierce, bloodthirsty battle cry; the twelve Goombas launched themselves forward at the unprepared heroes.

Mario and Rolf turned around while Goombario was trying to finish his explanation to Eddy, who much often didn't comprehend nor care for drawn-out lectures. "Listen, Eddy. Your job is to take out the leader. I'll have to warn you, his kind shouldn't be here, and he is at least three times as strong as an ordinary Goomba! Just give him your best moves. I'll take out the plain ol' Goombas and then back you up if you need help," Goombario finished, lifting himself off the ground.

"Sounds like a plan to me. Time to show them what I can do," Eddy replied with a confident smirk.

"_Looks like he's changed his motivations about battling. That's good; I'm glad we've finally been able to convince him." _Goombario noticed, who couldn't help but crack a genuine smile as he turned to face the remaining Goomba squad.

"By the might of Rolf's ancestors, we shall attack!" Rolf screamed, lunging himself towards the enemy army. Mario followed shortly behind him, leading in with his hammer. Immediately, Rolf struck two Paragoombas down with his shoe, reverting them back into normal Goombas.

On the other hand, Mario saw that his feet were about be crushed by a Spiked Goomba's spiked helmet. With quick instinct, he turned his body to land safely on top of a regular Goomba, and then swinging his hammer down on its spiked variant as well. The other Goombas attempted then tried to attack Goombario out of desperate effort, but he swiftly avoided their attacks and replied with one of his own. On impact, he instantly defeated one of them with a devastating blow from his head. A loud sound could be heard on contact, which impressed Mario and Rolf greatly.

"Rolf admires your strength, he-who-lacks-two-limbs," He commented in awe, his mouth agape. But then, his face turned into a confident, proud grin.

"But Rolf is better, and he shall show you!" Rolf shouted. With his two shoes in hand, he turned towards the remaining Paragoomba and Goombas that were still relatively healthy. As they were about to strike onto Mario, Rolf leaped into the air and caught the Paragoomba on the back of its head with his mouth, landing acrobatically. He then turned his attention to the last stand of the Goombas, who were revolting in a mixture of fright and disgust. This even caught the attention of the Gloomba leader.

"How barbaric! What a filthy creature, he is," the Gloomba growled, realizing that his numbers were starting to dwindle down. He then turned towards Mario, deciding he needed to enter the battle as well. While Mario was recovering stamina from the numerous dodge moves that he performed, the Gloomba struck him with a quick, powerful blow, knocking him down unsuspectingly. The attack greatly shocked the plumber, causing him to feel more pain than if it had attacked him regularly.

"Oh... mama-mia..." Mario moaned in the midst of heavy panting, falling onto the ground after complete exhaustion of the little vitality that he had left. The Gloomba stood up proudly, apparently feeling accomplished for taking out the Mushroom Kingdom's greatest hero, as well as Bowser's arch-nemesis.

"Well, well, well! Bowser must promote me now! For I have defeated the oh-so-great Mario! I guess he isn't so great after all..." the Gloomba boasted, closing his eyes and blowing a raspberry at the fallen plumber immaturely.

A hand suddenly grabbed him from behind and knocked the Gloomba down to the ground, pinning him down. Eddy was standing on top of him with his arms crossed. He had a confident attitude, choosing to bravely have a face-down with a strong opponent. "You've got some nerve, attacking a man while his back is turned. But you're dealing with me right now: I'm your opponent! Fight me like the tough guy you are!" Eddy taunted, leaping off of him so that the Gloomba could retaliate.

Meanwhile, Goombario and Rolf took care of the rest of the Goombas, who were all lying down unconscious on the ground. Normally, they would be obligated to help Eddy, but Goombario suggested that Eddy fought alone in order to prove himself. After such a hectic brawl, he felt they deserved a rest anyway.

"Good job Rolf. Now, let Eddy take care of this guy." Goombario stated with an optimistic smile, lying next to Mario on the grass while taking a rest.

Rolf sat his with legs-crossed, beginning to meditate. "Rolf shall work on his concentration, yes? It was an exciting duel, nevertheless. He will now, as you say, take five?" he replied in his foreign accent, attempting to use a common English phrase to sound more "hip." The Goomba nodded in approval.

"Grr... you may have defeated my brothers, but once I'm done with you, your friends are next!" the Gloomba said with no hesitation in his voice, appearing arrogant about his abilities. Eddy still remained in a cool phase, not affected at all by his harsh words.

"Puh-lease... the way this is gonna go, you'll be heading downtown crying to your boss in about ten seconds flat!" Eddy replied, countering the Goomba's threats with a more clever insult.

Eddy and the Gloomba were having a staredown; each trying to anticipate the other's next movement. They waited patiently, hoping to have the opportunity to parry his opponent due to recklessness. However, both of them also had pride on the line, so defeat was not an option.

After a minute-long stare, the Gloomba became tired of waiting and made the first move. It launched itself with a quick step, knocking down the unprepared Eddy. He quickly got up before the Gloomba could continue and retaliated with a quick jab to the face. Again, the Gloomba repeated the same move as before; this time, Eddy wasn't caught off guard and leaned to the left, which sent the Gloomba crashing and rolling on the ground.

"Grr... you're pretty good... for a small fry..." the Gloomba admitted with gritted teeth.

Eddy smirked and folded his arms. "Well, you're gonna learn the hard way that you Goombies are the smallest fries. I learn all my moves from my brother, and I'm gonna use them to turn you guys into hash-browns!"

Goombario groaned at the bad pun, while Rolf clapped his hands. "Impressive, Ed-boy! But why are they talking about collecting potatoes, Goombario?"

Goombario rolled his eyes. "Who knows... Eddy just has to trash talk when battling, I guess. At least he's winning."

The Gloomba chose to ignore this comment and tried another headbonk attack, which Eddy dodged again with a backflip. Staring face-to-face with the astonished dark Goomba, he grabbed hold of it and smashed the creature with a knee. He then spun placed a hand on the Gloomba and spun it around, causing it to lose balance. In that instant, Eddy ran at the Gloomba with all of his fight that he could possibly muster, and connected a powerful forward jab straight into the face, causing it to fly out of the distance. He then noticed an item it dropped on the ground; a large red flower with green petals.

"That's very helpful; it's a Fire Flower. When used, it burns all enemies in battle by firing a barrage of fire bullets. You just need to plan it into the ground," Goombario stated, as Eddy shrugged and claimed the object.

After the duel was concluded, Mario suddenly came back on his feet and dusted himself off, greatly shocking the three. They expected the plumber to still be unconscious after taking a severe beating. He patted Eddy on the shoulder with a proud smile. "Nice job, Eddy. I'm glad that you've chosen to help us! Your skills are very impressive."

Goombario gaped. "Wait, what? Mario? Why are you still up? I mean, I want that to happen, but you know... just curious..." he stuttered, unsure of whether to feel perplexed or thrilled. Goombario decided to choose the latter and just waited to hear Mario's explanation.

Rolf took a closer inspection at Mario's condition, and then began to laugh. "Oh ho ho! Fool-hardy Mario has fooled us all, yes? He was not injured, but pretending to be asleep like my cousin when he visits Rolf's home and irritates Nana."

Eddy was still confused by Rolf's explanation. "So... what you're saying is... I don't get it."

"You might not like this Eddy, but I pretended to be defeated in order to force you into a decision. Deep down I knew that you had the will to fight, but you needed more of a reason to." Mario explained, continuing forward along the path.

"You know I really hate that, right?" Eddy replied angrily, scowling at Mario for his witty yet conniving deception. They saw a ledge that led high in the air, which presumably was the path to arrive. It looked extremely difficult to climb because of the steep slope; however, there seemed to be a spring of sorts right next to the elevation.

"Great. How are we supposed to get up now?" Eddy complained, collapsing onto the ground comedically after such a long period of walking, at least to him.

Rolf shook his head. "It's simple, Ed-boy! We must hop onto the spring and it will carry us across, yes?"

Goombario nodded. "Rolf is correct. That's a springboard; as the name suggests, it was invented and placed there by certain workers throughout the Mushroom Kingdom to make it a more convenient choice than climbing. Just land normally on it and the springboard will carry you across."

Before they could head across, two large figures confronted them. They appeared to be ordinarily huge Goombas blocking the path. One of them was red in tone, while the other was blue. Both of them carried mean, threatening expressions. "Halt! Who goes there? Oh, well if it isn't Mario and some nobodies that he brought along... well it's now our time to shine!" the Red Goomba taunted, leaping off the cliff to impede movement. The Blue Goomba came down with him shortly after.

"We're anything but nobodies, you fatheads! I ought to beat you guys up for insulting the great Eddy McR-" Mario interrupted Eddy's retort, covering his big mouth with a glove while the latter was still trying to continue with his statement.

The Blue Goomba laughed, not losing his composure at all by Eddy's threat. "We're known as the Notorious Goomba Brothers. I'm Blue Goomba, and this is my older brother Red Goomba."

Red Goomba continued. "The Goomba King has passed down orders directly from Lord Bowser himself, and we're not here just to disappoint him. This is the end of the road for you, Mario!"

Mario grinned sheepishly and held up his hands, trying to appear desperate. "Hey, I'm sure we can talk this out! Here, you can take this Mushroom and then we'll be on our way..."

Red Goomba growled. "That's pretty pathetic coming from you! Come on my Blue brother, let's show them what we're made of!"

The four "trespassers" recoiled backwards, narrowly dodging their sudden strike. Rolf made an observation about them as they attempted to attack. "We should target the Blue Goomba! He is younger, and therefore weaker. In the Old Country, we judge one's strength and wisdom by their age- the youngest one will always be inferior!"

Goombario nodded and made the first move, landing a blow onto the Blue Goomba. "Take that! Good idea Rolf; let's keep this up!"

The Blue Goomba quickly recovered and then recognized a familiar face. "Well, if I didn't know any better, it's that shrimp again from Goomba Academy! Goombario, my old friend... we used to pick on you so much because all you would do was study. Looks like you've gotten stronger, huh?"

Mario looked surprised and turned to Goombario. "You mean you know these guys? How did they end up being criminals?"

Goombario turned to Mario and whispered, "Yeah, I know them. They've been working for Bowser recently, but never in school were they evil! I'm surprised how much the two have been influenced."

He then gave the Goomba Brothers a menacing stare, or at least he tried. "Hey, you two! I'm gonna show you that studying does pay off! Because of my knowledge, I've gained more power than you could ever imagine!"

Red Goomba laughed. "Hah! Knowledge is for the weak. Why waste time reading a book when you could be working out? I mean, we're bigger than you, and that says something!"

Eddy intervened. "Yeah; my checkup says that you've been eating far too many Mushrooms!"

The Goomba Brothers stomped the ground in anger and leaped towards Eddy. Fortunately, the short Ed-boy ducked, and they ended up hitting Rolf instead. Even though it wasn't their intended target, the two large Goombas began to pummel the downed Rolf with some head bonks.

Mario decided he needed to turn the tables, and activated the power of his badge: Power Jump. His shoes began to glow in a teal color, as he aimed straight for Blue Goomba, who had his back turned. With all of his might, as well as the enhanced strength of his boots, Blue Goomba was sent flying backwards with a powerful stomp from the plumber.

"No! Blue Goomba! Grr... don't think I've forgotten about you, Mario..." Red Goomba growled, staring at the plumber with animosity.

"Who you should not be forgetting... is ROLF! Hiyaa!" Rolf cried, pulling out both of his shoes and whacking the Red Goomba with them repeatedly after catching Rolf off guard.

Blue Goomba stood up again, although it was clear that he was near defeat. The two Goombas decided to scheme onto Rolf, attempting to take him down once and for all. However, for some reason, both of them missed their attacks even when he was standing still! Rolf's body was glowing a light orange color, which quickly faded away after the Goombas landed on the ground.

"Rolf shall consume a Mushroom!" Rolf announced, snacking on the mysterious treat. Immediately, he felt his tongue being overwhelmed by an awesome taste, and his body was slowly recovering from wounds.

"This reminds Rolf of his family's seven-course dinner meal, yes?" Seeing that Eddy was still hiding behind Mario even after all of his big talk, the son of the shepherd leaped into the air and struck down Red Goomba once again, inflicting even more damage.

Goombario looked at Mario, and they both decided to end the fight with one final move. "I've got a plan, Mario! If we combine our powers, we'll take 'em out real fast!"

Mario stared at him intently, nodding. "I'm all ears, friend. I trust you.."

After hearing Mario call him a friend, Goombario suddenly felt overjoyed. He never thought in his lifetime that he would not only meet with his role model, but also be able to fight alongside him and gain his trust. "Sure thing!" Goombario then whispered a few sentences into Mario's ear, as Eddy and Rolf watched them from the sidelines.

"What do you think they're planning, Ed-boy?" Rolf asked, staring at the weakened, less-confident Goomba Bros.

Eddy, magically pulling out a bag of popcorn, replied, "I dunno, but it better be good!"

Mario and Goombario turned to face the two nefarious Goomba bullies after discussing their strategy. During this time, they also intended to come up with a strategy; albeit, without someone as intellectual as Goombario on their side, the plan most likely wouldn't be as well-thought out.

"Let's a-go!" Mario announced, as Goombario braced himself by remaining stationary. The plumber then suddenly swung his hammer straight at his Goomba partner, launching him into the air with high velocity. The Goomba Bros. could only watch in horror as a small, high-speeding Goomba bullet was being sent flying in their direction. With all of his force of will, Goombario adjusted his altitude and found himself crashing directly into Blue Goomba, knocking him down.

"Avenge me, Red Goomba..." the Blue Goomba moaned in pain, falling down to the ground.

"N-no! My little brother! You little weasel...now you'll truly feel the wrath of the Goomba Bros!" the Red Goomba cried, still attempting to appear tough on the outside.

However, Mario and Goombario were not yet finished with their attack. Goombario was still floating in midair, spinning himself around in circles in order to maintain height. After he reached a certain distance from the ground, Mario ran up towards the Goomba and stepped off his head, propelling him forward. Then, lunging himself straight at their final opponent, Mario lifted his hammer into the air and swung it down with all of his force, combined with the acceleration from the liftoff. This sent Red Goomba crashing into his brother. They slowly got back up and began running away- the Goombas were actually wailing in shame on their retreat, mentioning something about a "Goomba King."

"Hah! Big, wimpy Goombas? Pathetic! I bet this Goomba King they're talking about doesn't even exist. What idiots..." Eddy taunted, seeing that the battle had finally reached conclusion.

"At least we're done with all the fighting..." Mario groaned with a sigh, finally having an intermission between their next battle.

Rolf, however, applauded Mario and Goombario for their incredible combination attack. "Bravo, you two! Rolf has never seen such great teamwork in two people who have just introduced themselves to each other! Don't you agree, Eddy?"

Eddy typically blew a raspberry in response. "Pft! I could've thought of that move too, if you ask me. Don't like a bunch of hot shots just 'cause you impressed me..." Eddy mumbled, but then gasped when he suddenly caught himself admitting his admiration of their attack.

Goombario lightly laughed. "What was that, Eddy? I'm glad we impressed you. It's a tricky move to pull off, but I'm glad it worked."

Mario nodded in agreement. "I think an appropriate name for that move would be "Hammerhead Attack", perfected and used only by yours truly. In all honesty, I believe that Goombario is the only Goomba alive who can withstand my hammer and jump attack at the same time!"

Goombario closed his eyes smugly as the four progressed forward, leaping onto the Springboard and continuing along the path to Toad Town. Eddy ran up to yet another sign, that appeared to have not an item nor enemy behind it. "You should eat plenty of Mushrooms; they're good for you. How obvious- these signs are useless, Mario." Eddy griped, spinning the sign around in annoyance. He continued walking forward, not noticing a Goomba lunging towards him.

"Eddy-boy! Behind you!" Rolf exclaimed, pointing towards the simple Mushroom-like creature. Eddy didn't have much time to react, but still managed to duck out of the way. He then ran up to the Goomba that was still lying on the ground and kicked it like a football, sending it out of the distance.

"Good riddance. You scared me, Rolf; I thought it was actually something worth noticing..." Eddy boasted, flexing his arms. Mario and Goombario gave him a bored face as they continued even further. After what seemed like an endless period of walking and fighting, they finally reached an end point. In front of them was a large gray fortress of sorts, appearing very ominous and intimidating.

"Ooo, it's a castle! Should we go inside? It sounds kinda scaarry..." Eddy mocked, taking a step forward towards the fortress.

Rolf suddenly picked the Ed-boy up. "Are you sure, Ed-boy? If you are more frightened than Sarah-girl when cousin Bastion asks to kiss her under the membrane of a yak, then Rolf shall transport you inside with Bobo!"

Eddy slapped his forehead and sighed, seeing that Rolf still did not understand modern sarcasm. "Rolf, put me down. I'm fine..."

Mario stared at the fortress while reflecting on his past life. "Just like old times... this time though, I have people alongside me."

Suddenly, the sky began to turn from clear blue to being shrouded by gray clouds in a matter of an instant. The sun could barely be seen in the distance; the fortress around them appearing to encompass the four in a blanket of darkness. Mario readied his hammer, while Goombario prepared himself with his Tattle Log in arms. Eddy then leaped back onto Rolf's arms again, who laughed heartily at Eddy's evident cowardice.

"Look up there! It's the Goomba Bros! And uh... The Goomba King?" Goombario read from his tattle log, surprised to see such an imposing-looking enemy stand in front of them.

Goombario referred to the top of the castle, for which the Goomba Bros. appeared out of with another figure. Alongside them was a giant Goomba, so massive that even the former dwarfed to his stature. The Goomba's most noteworthy traits were large, rolling eyes, red and white pants, and a monarch's crown.

"So, you've made it this far, Mario and his tagalongs... I'm impressed. Unfortunately for you, this is as far as you go. Under the direct orders of King Bowser, my subordinates and I shall defeat you!" The Goomba King spoke in a loud, booming voice.

"Yeah right? Losing to two wimps and a big clown? Puh-lease! Double D could take you on with one hand tied behind his back!" Eddy boasted, folding his arms and staring at the Goomba King directly with a defiant smile.

The Goomba King stomped the ground and leaped from the tower; the Goomba Bros. following shortly after. Apparently, they were infuriated by Eddy's arrogant behavior. "How dare you say such a thing, you repulsive little child! I will personally teach you a lesson to not pick fights with the strong!" The King shouted, charging straight for Eddy.

Eddy attempted to keep his cool and simply dodged out of the way. Rolf was prepared to counter attack, while Mario turned towards Goombario for any helpful advice.

"Goombario, does this guy have any weakness! He sure looks tough..." Mario asked, admitting his slight doubt towards their chances of defeating such an intimidating opponent.

Goombario closed his book after a few more seconds of reading. "Well, my Tattle Log doesn't have information about the Goomba King, just like the Goomba Bros. He originally was an ordinary Goomba until Bowser used the Star Rod to empower him. I don't think he's too powerful, to be honest. But don't you think we should target the Goomba Bros. first? We just fought with them moments ago; they must be pretty worn out!"

Mario smiled in response, feeling a bit more reassured. "I agree; good thinking. Everyone, target the Goomba Bros!"

Rolf, however, was steps ahead of him. He lunged straight forward at the Goomba Bros. recklessly, raising his shoe to strike them down. However, they were protected by the Goomba King, who struck the farmer with his foot, causing him to fly back into a Goomnut tree in the distance. A Goomnut fell from the tree and landed on Rolf's head, causing him to fall flat on the ground.

"Get up, Rolf! What'd I pay you for, anyway?" Eddy cried, urging the struggling Rolf to get back onto his feet. The Goomba Bros. then attempted to strike Eddy with a headbonk attack, which he swiftly dodged even without the aid of Chill Out and replied with a punch to Red Goomba's face, causing him to recoil in pain from minor damage.

Mario was gazing at Rolf and the tree that he was lying next to prior to rejoining the fight. The tree appeared to possess abnormally large Goomnuts, powerful enough to severely injure enemies if made contact as seen with Rolf. He then made an observation about the fragility of the tree, and more specifically the Goomnuts that were on it.

"_If the trees were hit a certain angle, then we can possibly turn the tables of this fight!"_ Mario realized, breaking away from his thoughts to turn towards the actual battle at hand.

Elsewhere, Goombario was focusing on the major boss of the Goombas. Bravely, he leaped into the air and landed straight on the Goomba King's forehead with his headbonk, causing the royal Goomba to stumble backwards and cry out in pain.

"Argh! You'll pay for that at the expense of your friends, little Goomba!" The Goomba King said as he recovered himself from the attack. Looking at Mario, who was still preoccupied with conceiving a possible strategy to defeat him, the King charged straight at the plumber and kicked him several feet away.

Mario quickly recovered himself, but was still slightly fazed from the blow. "Guys... aim for... the tree...the Goomnut will land on their heads with a powerful, concentrated strike!"

Rolf obliged to his statement, heading directly towards the tree. He then collided his shoe with the trunk, causing the tree to begin shaking. As the Goomba King and his subordinates looked on with confusion, a Goomnut suddenly started flying towards their direction at high speeds; first, it bashed the leader on the head, and subsequently bouncing onto the Goomba Bros. Even though the Goomba King survived, the Goomba Bros. collapsed onto the ground in defeat.

"Avenge us, Goomba King..." They stated in unison, moaning in pain.

The Goomba King remained confident, appearing to have a trick up his sleeve. "Hah! If you can manipulate the tree and use it as a cheap trick, then I can, too!" He then stomped the ground with all of his might, causing an earth tremor in the ground. Eddy and Goombario began to wobble and walk away. However, Mario and Rolf were not so fortunate, and a Goomnut fell towards their side and hit both of them square in the head. Both of them lied on the ground, dazed by the sudden force from the tree.

"Aha! It's over, you fools! One more of those, and I surely will claim victory of this battle!" the Goomba King proclaimed, looking on at the two standing fighters, Eddy and Goombario.

Eddy turned towards his smaller friend. "So, uh... who's making the first move? Go right ahead, Goombario!" He asked with uncertainty, not sure that he would live up to his words before the battle began.

Goombario smirked, however, and decided to play with Eddy's emotions. "Come on Eddy, you have a Fire Flower. If you can't even win with that, then I don't think they'll be any chance of you finding your friends again!"

This statement apparently worked on Eddy, as he snatched the Fire Flower from Mario's pockets. He then planted it into the ground, and the flower immediately sprouted, with black dots appearing similar to eyes onto the petals.

"Hey! Circus freak! How would you like some of this?" Eddy asked, as he directed the Fire Flower like a cannon, and began firing towards the Goomba King's face. Large meteors of fire were shot in rapid succession, wearing out the King's endurance with their intense velocity.

"Argh! You little pest!" He then tried to kick Eddy, however, due his frustration, missed completely. The Goomba King then watched in horror as a certain rose with a fearsome scowl.

"You have made a mockery of Rolf, you large mushroom! Rolf would like to cook you in some stew, but for now, he must teach you the lessons of a proper duel!" Rolf prepared both of his shoes in his hands, and then suddenly grabbed one of Mario's shoes with his mouth.

"Hey! What are you doing with my shoe? Oh well... it's Rolf... he can go ahead and do that." Mario sighed, prepared to relax onto the ground.

"Are you prepared to take... the almighty three-shoe beating?" Rolf asked, causing the Goomba King to shake in fear.

"No! S-stay back! I give up!" the Goomba King pleaded. Unfortunately for him, Rolf began to spank him from all sides with three shoes in possession, whacking him hard in a comical fashion. Eddy, Mario, and Goombario looked on with a smile, seeing that the battle was finally over.

"Retreat, Goomba Bros!" The three of them promptly entered the fortress and shut the door, which seemed locked. Rolf was trying to bash through the door, while the others witnessed nine oddly colored orbs lying on the ground. Three of them were red, three were yellow, and the rest were orange.

"Say... aren't those the Badge Candies that Old Man Goompa was talking about, Mario? But I thought there was supposed to be three, since ya know, we've got me, you, and Rolf." Eddy pondered, holding one in his hands.

Goombario immediately recognized these particular. "These are Power Candies... my grandpa didn't mention them, but there are three types of them. We have red Heart Candies, yellow Flower Candies, and orange Badge Candies. Once you eat one of them, you will notice a small increase in strength depending on the one you chose. After you pick one, the other two will vanish into thin air. Or so I heard. And by the way Eddy, there's four of us..."

Eddy decided to select the Badge Candy. On the other hand, Mario opted for the Flower Candy. After dragging Rolf back and Goombario having to re-explain this process to him, he chose to eat the Heart Candy.

"Now... where are we supposed to go?" Mario pondered, seeing that there was no way into the fortress just through brute force alone.

Eddy decided to eavesdrop on the Goomba King and his followers, placing his ear beside the door.

"Say, Red Goomba where did you hide that Blue Switch?"

"Uh, in the bush south from here!"

"You idiot! Mario and his crew will surely find it now!"

"Don't blame me, you were the one who was assigned to hide it, Blue Goomba! I just had to hide it last minute..."

After hearing their whispering, Eddy giggled and spread the information to his friends. Mario went over to a nearby bush and found the corresponding blue switch and gave it a solid whack with his hammer.

Just then, the Goomba King reappeared on the top of his fortress again. "Hey Mario, great fight and all, but I must warn you: if you see a Blue Switch around here, please don't press it. It's very dangerous. It will, uh... blow up the area! Say, how about I just let you pass through the fortress..." the Goomba explained, appearing worried. Mario turned away, Rolf was whistling, and Eddy was snickering behind his back. However, Goombario went up and told him straightforward. "We pressed it already. Bad luck for you guys." He stated simply, smiling slightly.

The Goomba King widened his eyes and began panicking. "What? No!"

The four looked on as the castle suddenly began to fall apart, making them fall back slightly. First, the roof blew off straight from the fortress, and then the windows began shattering as well. Finally, the top of the fortress blew off, revealing the Goomba King and the Goomba Bros clinging onto him in fear as they stood on top of a gray spring of sorts. The spring then launched them into the air, sending them flying away into the distance, their screams quickly becoming inaudible. Then, the spring landed back onto the ground, appearing as a convenient bridge from the fortress to the path continuing along to Toad Town.

"Hey guys, there is a bridge here! Let's get out of this barf-fest!" Eddy exclaimed as he lead the way, while the others followed afterwards.

Mario looked towards Goombario, who seemed awfully quiet and sad. "What's wrong? We've defeated our enemies. Is there something the matter?"

Goombario replied, "I'm just disappointed that the Goomba Bros. had to be with him, too. They were once Goombas I knew not as enemies, but simply comrades, despite our difference in ideals. It's a shame that Bowser misled them on the path to evil; their insecurities caused them to begin working for Bowser under the premise that they would get their wishes granted again. I don't believe they deserved that," Goombario mumbled.

Mario tried to cheer him up with a smile and pat on the head. "You will see them again, Goombario. I promise they didn't... well, you know. Bowser will pay for all of the crimes that he's committed- I will make sure of it. We need to keep going though,"

Goombario's frown disappeared, as he turned towards Eddy and Rolf, who were fighting over a blue Mushroom that they had found. Rolf easily won, easily pushing Eddy to the side while holding the item straight in the air so that he couldn't reach it. "What is this? Are these some sort of sour variants of a Mushroom?" he asked.

"Oh, that's a Super Mushroom. It tastes much better than an ordinary Mushroom, and it's healthier for you too! We ought to save it." Goombario replied.

Eddy made a bored face. "Whatever. I guess you can call that a good luck charm or something. I mean, so far, can this get any easier?" He asked with overconfidence in his tone, as the four continued along the path.

Unknown to the heroes, Kammy Koopa was watching over them in the distance. She monitored their progress throughout the entire path, and then began flying towards Bowser's Castle and watching all she needed to know...

_To be Continued..._

End of Chapter

* * *

**A/N: Past memories, battles, and bad jokes, oh my! Again, sorry for the delay on this chapter. But now that some stuff has been taken care of, I will continue to update more frequently. If you're curious, the characters' stats, badges, and items will all be in my profile. You don't need to see it of course; it's just for my continuity purposes. By the way, there aren't supposed to be Gloombas or a Goomba horde in the game. **


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